- 14.9-megawatt, Connecticut facility will produce electricity for about 15,000 homes
- Project is part of state program designed to add 150 megawatts of renewable energy in Connecticut
- FuelCell Energy Inc. will construct and operate power park
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Gov. Dannel P.
Malloy and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch today joined officials from
Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation’s largest energy companies, and
FuelCell Energy Inc. (Nasdaq: FCEL) to break ground at the largest fuel
cell power project in North America.
Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell, which
is being built downtown alongside Interstate 95 and the Northeast rail
corridor, will produce 14.9 megawatts of clean energy – enough to power
approximately 15,000 homes – using an electro-chemical process that efficiently converts natural gas into electricity.
“This power station will generate
clean, reliable, base load electricity for Connecticut,” said David A.
Christian, Dominion Generation chief executive officer. “Our clean
energy portfolio today includes wind, hydro, biomass, and, soon, solar
and this facility when it begins operating later this year. Along with
electricity, this project supports Connecticut’s clean energy goals
while producing significant economic development benefits for the State
and the City of Bridgeport.”
Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell is part
of Project 150, a program sponsored by the state and supported by the
Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) to increase
renewable and clean energy projects in Connecticut by 150 megawatts.
CEFIA is the nation’s first full-scale clean energy finance authority
that leverages public and private funds to drive investment and scale up
clean energy deployment in Connecticut. This project was supported by
the City of Bridgeport, which provides a tax incentive development
agreement that will be in place for the life of the project.
“Cleaner, cheaper, more reliable
energy is a critical part of strengthening our economy,” said Malloy.
“For years Connecticut residents and businesses have paid energy costs
that top anywhere else in the nation—to the detriment of family budgets
and commerce. With our new energy strategy and a focus on increasing
renewable power options and efficiency measures, we will bring down
costs for ratepayers, reduce carbon emissions, and create thousands of
clean energy jobs.”
"We are proud to be the home for one
of the largest fuel cell facilities in North America,” said Finch. “This
is a great example of public-private partnerships working together to
create jobs, expand economic development and make our environment
cleaner by producing virtually pollution-free electricity with a low
carbon footprint. This fuel cell park is another successful addition to
the city's expanding Eco-Industrial Park. Many thanks go to Dominion and
FuelCell Energy for their diligence in moving this project forward, and
to Gov. Malloy for promoting clean energy projects in the state of
Connecticut.”
FuelCell Energy Inc. will build, operate, and maintain the facility under contract to Dominion. FCE
is supplying five Direct FuelCell® stationary fuel cell power plants
and an organic rankine turbine that will convert heat from the fuel
cells into additional electricity.
FuelCell Energy has expanded its
Connecticut manufacturing workforce by more than 20 percent or more than
50 jobs in the past six months, reflecting demand such as this
Bridgeport fuel cell park. The project is scheduled to be completed and
placed into operation in late 2013. Dominion will sell the
output of the fuel cell power station to Connecticut Light & Power
under a 15-year fixed power purchase agreement.
Dominion owns several renewable energy
facilities in the United States, including wind farms in West Virginia
and Indiana, a biomass power station in Virginia with three more under
construction and hydroelectric power stations in Virginia and North
Carolina. The company has also announced a 7.7-megawatt solar project in
Georgia and the first company-owned rooftop solar installation in
Virginia.
Dominion is one
of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a
portfolio of approximately 27,500 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles
of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,300
miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the
nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet
of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states.
For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com.