Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell, which is being built next to the Interstate 95 motorway and the Northeast rail corridor, will produce 14.9 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power approximately 15,000 homes. It will use an electro-chemical process that converts natural gas into electricity.
FuelCell Energy Inc will build, operate, and maintain the facility under contract to Dominion and 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.
"This power station will generate clean, reliable, base load electricity for Connecticut," said David A Christian,
Dominion Generation chief executive officer. "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."
The fuel cell is part of Project 150, a programme sponsored by the state 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 US’ first full-scale clean energy finance authority. It leverages public and private funds to drive investment and scale up clean energy deployment in Connecticut.
"Cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy is a critical part of strengthening our economy," said State Governer Dannel P Malloy. "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."