PSEG Power Connecticut said it has cleared 485 MWs of Installed Summer Capacity from a new gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in the ISO-New England Forward Capacity Auction. PSEG Power Connecticut expects to begin construction of the clean, natural gas-fired plant in 2017.
The power plant, which represents an investment of more than $550 million, is targeted to be completed and supplying needed energy to the Connecticut region for the year beginning June 2019. The plant will be located at PSEG Power Connecticut’s existing Bridgeport Harbor Station site.
The plant will create 350 construction jobs and about 20 permanent jobs, add tax revenue to the city of Bridgeport, as well as other economic benefits. The plant primarily will run on natural gas, but also will be able to run on ultra-low-sulfur distillate fuel oil as a back-up fuel, ensuring fuel diversity and exceptional dependability.
PSEG Power Connecticut, the city of Bridgeport, and several community groups and environmental organizations also announced today that they have agreed to a Community Environmental Benefit Agreement (CEBA) associated with the plant.
The agreement supports the objectives of Connecticut’s Environmental Justice Act. Implementing the agreement is conditioned on receiving key permits necessary for construction. Among the components of the CEBA, if all conditions are met, PSEG Power Connecticut agreed to finalize plans to retire Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 3; establish a $2 million fund to support projects and improvements focused on creating environmental benefits for Bridgeport residents; assign a Community Liaison Officer to be the main point of contact with community groups and work with the community to support local and regional hiring. In the CEBA, the City agrees to express its unqualified support for the new gas-fired combined cycle plant.
PSEG Power Connecticut’s Bridgeport Harbor and New Haven Harbor stations are part of PSEG Power LLC’s generating fleet.
