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July 2, 2018

Malloy hails New Britain data center as tech industry draw

YouTube | digitalcarbonzulu A rendered image of the first phase of the data center proposed by EIP in New Britain.
EIP proposal to DEEP Stanley before and after potential featuring a repurposed building and new infill along the site's existing rail line.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday said that a proposed fuel-cell powered data center in New Britain that was recently selected for a long-term energy contract is “a major step in Connecticut leading the digital economy.”

Malloy joined developer EIP LLC, New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, legislators and others to highlight the $1 billion Energy & Innovation Park, which the governor in a statement called “one of the most significant private sector investments in recent state history" and "a new beginning for New Britain."

The proposed data center, to be housed in redeveloped buildings on the historic Stanley Works manufacturing campus, will be powered by fuel cells manufactured by South Windsor-based Doosan. The approximately 20-megawatt fuel cell plant was recently selected by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to negotiate a 20-year power purchase contract with utilities.

The project could ultimately include about 64 megawatts of on-site power, which could make it the world’s largest fuel cell installation, Malloy said.

EIP said in its application to DEEP earlier this year (a link to the filing can be found here) that the four-phase project would generate over 400 direct and indirect jobs in the initial phase, mainly during construction.

Phase 1, which includes the fuel cell plant construction slated to begin in 2019, would generate nearly $44 million in worker earnings, EIP said. The data center would be built during phase two, with additional on-site power, data capacity and new construction slated for the latter phases.

In all, EIP says there would be nearly 20,000 direct and indirect jobs generated from the project.

The development would also create an estimated $45 million in tax revenue for New Britain and another $200 million for the state over 20 years, the developer says.

Mark Wick, an EIP partner who has been working on the project for about a decade, called it a game-changer for the city, the region and the state that will bring high-tech jobs, clean energy and high-speed data processing.

“The way Stanley Black & Decker transformed New Britain with its innovation, passion and excellence in 1843 is the same game plan we will implement to help lead this great city in the 21st century,” Wick said in a statement.

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A computer-rendered flythrough of the EIP project

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