Dominion to Open Largest Fuel Cell Power Project in North America

Dominion, owner of Waterford’s Millstone Nuclear Power Station, announced on Friday that it plans to develop the largest fuel cell generating facility in North America at a new plant in Bridgeport.  

According to a release from the company, the facility will produce 14.9 megawatts of electricity using a reactive process that converts natural gas into electricity. That's enough electricity to power about 15,000 homes.

Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell LLC has contracted with FuelCell Energy Inc. (FCE) of Danbury to build, operate, and maintain the facility. FCE will supply five proprietary Direct FuelCell® stationary fuel cell systems and an organic rankine turbine that will use waste heat from the fuel cells to generate the electricity.

Normally, a turbine uses high-energy steam to generate electricity. An organic rankine turbine uses low energy produced by an organic process to spin the turbine and generate electricity. Fuel cells are a "green" technology that produce virtually no greenhouse gas emissions. Much like a battery, they are comprised of electrolytes sandwiched between anode and cathode electrodes. Fuel cells allow for the production of on-site energy with little to no environmental impact. 

The project is expected to support 161 jobs and has been bolstered by tax incentives provided by the City of Bridgeport, according to the release.

"The Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell is another important step in our efforts to identify and develop opportunities to produce clean energy that is reliable and cost effective," said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion chairman, president and chief executive officer, in the release. "We are now adding fuel cell technology to our energy portfolio that already includes wind, hydro, biomass and, soon, solar. This project supports Connecticut's clean energy goals while producing significant economic development benefits for the State and the City of Bridgeport."

The tax incentives provided by the City of Bridgeport will be in place for the life of the project, according to Dominion’s release. The Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell facility 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, the release states.

Dominion will sell all the power produced by the facility to Connecticut Light & Power under a 15-year fixed power purchase agreement.