Siting Council approves Bridgeport’s Green Energy Park

The Connecticut Siting Council recently approved the Green Energy Park solar and fuel cell project in Bridgeport.

The project includes 9,000 solar panels and a 2.8-megawatt fuel cell on the city’s abandoned landfill. The council voted 6-1 in favor of the solar portion of the project and 7-0 to approve the fuel cell.

“We have an old, polluted and dormant landfill,” Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said in a press release. “With Green Energy Park, we’re making use of this old dump by making it a bastion for green job creation, making it a tax revenue generator for the city that powers thousands of homes with clean energy, while also ensuring that our kids breathe cleaner air.”

The United Illuminating Co. will oversee, execute and maintain the energy park projects, which are expected to create 92 jobs and bring $7 million in tax revenue to the city during the park’s 20-year lease, according to the press release. Once the new fuel cell project is installed, the city will have 19 megawatts of fuel cell power.

The Siting Council decision marked the final regulatory approval needed for the project. United Illuminating must submit an updated development and management plan to the Siting Council before construction, which is expected to begin in the spring.

See renderings and a map of the project here.