BRIDGEPORT – The Connecticut Siting Council has approved a request by the developer of the $80 million 9.66-megawatt fuel cell plant at 600 Iranistan Ave. to install an anti-climb chain link fence along the south side of the facility and a decorative fence along the remaining sides.
The decision comes on the heels of widespread criticism of the size and aesthetics of the 3.5-story steel structure that will provide power to United Illuminating’s power grid.
The Council approved the request on Jan. 30 in a letter to Harris Beach Murtha attorney Bruce McDermott, who is representing Charter Oak Borrower LLC. “Pursuant to Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (RCSA) §16-50j-62(b), the request to install an anti-climb chain link fence along the south side of the facility and decorative anti-climb fence along the remaining sides of the facility is hereby approved,” the letter from CSI Executive Director Melanie Bachman read.
The Connecticut Siting Council’s Oct. 8, 2021, approval of Charter Oak Borrower LLC’s Iranistan Avenue project included a condition requiring the filing of a development and management plan that included, among other things, details regarding the project’s fencing. The D&M Plan was submitted to the Council on March 21, 2025, and approved by the Council on May 29, 2025.
In the Jan. 23 request from Charter Oak Borrower, McDermott wrote: “Charter Oak now intends to use decorative anti-climb fence. However, the fencing cannot be used on the south side of the property because the goose-neck top will encroach onto Connecticut Department of Transportation (I-95) property. Therefore, Charter Oak will be using standard anti-climb chain link fence along the south side of the project property adjacent to the CDOT property.”
NuPower LLC, an Easton-based developer, partnered with the City of Bridgeport and UI on the fuel cell project to provide clean, combined heat and power (CHP) to the University of Bridgeport and surrounding areas.
The project, which uses HyAxiom fuel cells, was sold to Scale Microgrids in early 2025. Located in a mixed-use light industrial zone, the project features a 3.5-story structure with 21 Doosan fuel cells near I-95, despite neighborhood concerns regarding emissions and proximity to residential areas.
As the construction of the fuel cell tower nears completion and is now scene by drivers on I-95, social media has been filled with complaints about its presence.
“The only problem I have with the project is its appearance,” Mayor Joe Ganim told News 12 recently. “It turned out to be an absolute monstrosity, and that is not what we want people to see as they drive through Bridgeport on I‑95 or come through here by rail.”
Ganim said he has reached out to developers, and they have agreed to make “the necessary aesthetic improvements so the plant can proceed and Bridgeport can benefit from it.”
Once online, developers have said the plant will provide electricity for 10,000 households on the South End and heat for the new Bassick High School and the University of Bridgeport.
