UTC to build energy plant at Sikorsky

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. hired its sister company Carrier Corp. to build a $26 million energy cogeneration plant at its Stratford headquarters, reducing its load on the electrical grid in southwest Connecticut.

Both Sikorsky and Farmington-based Carrier are divisions of Hartford-based United Technologies Corp. In 2008, Carrier completed a similar cogeneration plant for the Middletown facility of Pratt & Whitney, an aircraft engine maker that is also a subsidiary of UTC.

Sikorsky first disclosed its plans more than a year ago, but had yet to identify a contractor. The manufacturer expects the plant to generate about 10 megawatts of electricity, more than 80 percent of the needs of its Stratford helicopter assembly plant and supporting facilities, which is the largest plant in Fairfield County. Sikorsky expects to recoup its investment via energy savings within four years.

Cogeneration plants recycle heat produced by electrical generators, instead of emitting it as the case in traditional power plants. That thermal energy can then be used to heat water or for other uses.

The project is expected to take 18 months to complete, with Carrier building the cogeneration plant adjacent to an existing power station on Sikorsky”™s property. Carrier did not immediately indicate how many jobs the project would support.

Sikorsky has also explored installing solar panels on the roof of its Stratford headquarters to further diversify its energy sources.