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December 2, 2022

New Britain kicks off first phase of fuel cell-anchored Energy & Innovation Park 

4Biz Graphics New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart (fourth from the right) joined construction officials and other stakeholders Thursday morning for the groundbreaking ceremony to launch phase one of the Energy & Innovation Park project.
By Robert Storace

Mayor Erin Stewart, construction officials and other project stakeholders held a ceremony at the former Stanley Works facility in New Britain Thursday morning to launch phase one of the long-awaited Energy & Innovation Park initiative that is being capped off with a new fuel cell power plant.

Phase one, city officials said, is focused on providing clean energy to the electric grid while also laying the groundwork for economic development through the installation of a 20-megawatt fuel cell power plant on the Myrtle Street site. EIP Investment is the project developer. 

Stewart said Friday morning that the new fuel cell will be a boon for the city.

“A few years ago I announced that after 10 years of planning and vision, the Energy & Innovation Park project was officially coming to New Britain, and we did have a pandemic that threw a wrench in a few things, so the plans for this site continue to evolve as we respond to the environment around us,” Stewart said. “What has not changed, however, is the fact that we are taking the first steps in activating a large plot of land that has been vacant for nearly 40 years and turning it into a catalyst for redevelopment that will add to the enhancement of the Myrtle Street corridor.”

In total, the city said, 80,000 square feet of currently vacant buildings will be demolished to make room for 67 hydrogen fuel cell units from California-based Bloom Energy. The fuel cells are capable of generating up to 300 kilowatts per unit, city officials said.

The fuel cell, the city said, will take about 24 months to install, with completion slated for sometime in early 2024.

City officials said the project will generate $250,000 in annual tax revenues for the next two decades and create hundreds of jobs. 
 

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