FAQs

Question 1 – What is Brockton Clean Energy (BCE)?
A: Brockton Clean Energy is a 350MW combined-cycle natural gas electricity generation facility being proposed in Brockton’s Oak Hill Industrial Park. BCE will be among the most efficient facilities in the country and will be totally supportive of the Patrick Administration’s energy policies regarding reducing of greenhouse gasses, increasing energy efficiency and supporting renewable energy facilities. The facility will also create 300 jobs and provide badly needed new tax revenues for the City of Brockton.

Question 2 – Are any facilities like BCE currently operating in Massachusetts?
A: Yes. Natural gas plants have been operating safely in Boston, Braintree, Cambridge, Dighton, Taunton, Charlton, Bellingham, Weymouth and other communities throughout the Commonwealth for decades. Please see the following list of similar natural gas-fired facilities in Massachusetts.

Question 3 – Have there been any recent projects of similar technology recently permitted?
A: Yes. The most recent projects to be approved by the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) are in Braintree, MA and Ludlow, MA.

Question 4 – Does the site comply with existing zoning?
A: Yes. The site is zoned by the City of Brockton for heavy industrial use since the passage of the Zoning Ordinance in 1965. Under this ordinance, an electric power generating facility is identified as a permitted use. The facility is also visually compatible with surrounding uses.

Question 5 – Does the site have adequate buffer and setbacks?
A: Yes. The site is bounded by warehouse space, industrial uses and a rail-line to the north and east, the 18-MGD City of Brockton Advanced Water Reclamation Facility (“AWRF”) and its landfill to the south, and a wooded buffer, the Salisbury Plain River, and the heavily developed commercial area along Route 28 to the west.
The following is a list of Massachusetts largest power facilities, including natural gas-fired facilities, with residential and schools setback distances (BCE in noted in blue).

Question 6 – Can the BCE facility help close other dirty plants like the Canal plant?
A: Yes. BCE represents a re-capitalization of Massachusetts’s aging generation fleet. Currently 75% of Massachusetts generation is 30 years old or older. Modern facilities such as BCE can generate affordable and reliable energy, while utilizing significantly less fuel and producing less than half of the emissions.
Massachusetts Senate passed S.2109 on July 22, 2009, directing the DPU to study alternatives to the Canal Plant. Canal has been operating to provide grid reliability at a cost to the consumer of over $200 million. Re-capitalizing Massachusetts generation fleet would be a win-win-win for electric consumers, the environment and economic development.

Question 7 – Will BCE facility produce emissions?
A: Yes. The primary emissions from BCE will be, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) and Sulphur Dioxides (SO2). The Project emissions are well below the US and Massachusetts EPA Significant Impact Levels (SILS). SILs are a small fraction of the health protective National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and the Massachusetts Ambient Air Quality Standards (MAAQS).

Question 8 – Do these emissions contribute significantly to air quality degradation?
A: No. Total emission quantities are so low, state authorities have determined air quality in Brockton will be essentially the same with or without the Project. The Project’s maximum impact on air quality is equivalent to adding less than 10 vehicles (buses or trucks) to the 105 vehicles of this type currently operating within the Oak Hill Industrial Park.
The analysis below compares the Project’s emissions to the industrial park’s existing operations.

Question 9 – Are there any environmental benefits?
Yes. BCE will displace older, less efficient power plants in the region, reducing regional air emissions and improving air quality. The following table outlines BCE’s displacement of older, less efficient and more polluting facilities:

The following table compares these benefits to wind generation.

*Source: data found on www.CapeWind.org

Question 10 – Would there be more benefits if more facilities of this type were built?
Yes. The following table outlines the air quality benefits of re-powering all existing generation with generation as clean and efficient as BCE, the numbers speak for themselves:

Question 11 – Will smoke be visible coming out of the stack?
A: No. BCE will be fueled by natural gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel, the same gas you use on a home range without any venting. The facility will have state-of-the-art emission reduction technology including the Best Available Control Technologies (BACT) and Lowest Achievable Emissions Rate (LAER). These measures will ensure minimal emissions and preserve local air quality.

Question 12 – Will emissions from BCE result in more asthma?
A: No. Pediatric asthma rates, as monitored by MA Department of Public Health (DPH), show no correlation to the location of gas-fired power plants. In fact, the DPH data also show that towns with power plants generally have lower pediatric asthma rates than many rural MA communities. This is because Asthma is caused primarily by indoor air pollution, especially pollen, mold, mites etc., not power generation facilities.

Question 13 – What, if any, health concerns do I need to be aware of?
A: None. BCE does not represent a health risk. Facilities like BCE are operating in communities all around us without problems and 30% of the entire United States power grid is powered by similar technology. These facilities are so safe, according to the US Department of Energy, 900 of the next 1,000 power generating facilities built in the US will be natural gas-fired.

Question 14 – Will BCE pay property tax?
A: Yes. BCE has offered a $1.5M annual PILOT payment to the City of Brockton. If BCE’s offer is accepted BCE would be the largest taxpayer in history of the City of Brockton. PILOT agreements stabilize tax payments and allow businesses to operate without annual negotiations or disputes.
BCE’s offer is competitive with other market examples. Outlined below is a list of other gas fired projects in MA and the tax payments they make to their host communities, calculations are based on $/MW.

Question 15 – Will the BCE facility use potable/drinking water for operations?
A: No. Wastewater will be taken from the City’s AWRF (sewage treatment facility) just prior to discharge. This reuse technology has been described as “extraordinary” by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
The Energy Facilities Siting Board, in its recent draft decision, also voiced a clear preference for recycled water over potable water. BCE has received approvals from the EFSB and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA), via the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act, for the use of AWRF water as a cooling medium.

Question 16 – Will BCE pay the City for the use of the wastewater currently being discharged?
A: Yes. BCE wishes to pay an annual fee to the city for the use of treated wastewater. BCE has offered a $500,000 annual wastewater payment to the City of Brockton. If BCE’s offer were accepted, BCE would pay for a product the City of Brockton is currently discharging as a waste product into the Salisbury Plain River at no benefit to the community.
Several power plants in the Northeast currently use wastewater for cooling. BCE’s offer is competitive with other market examples, see outline below. Specifically, the offer is 62% higher than any other agreement assessed and 247% higher than the average of all agreements assessed.

Additional Benefits
The City of Brockton and greater Brockton area will experience added benefits as a result of the sale of wastewater. The sale of wastewater will allow the City to increase its gate capacity (incoming flows). Currently the city’s treatment facility is constrained by discharge requirements, capping discharge to 18 million gallons per day. BCE’s cooling technology will consume over 1M gallons of the water freeing additional capacity for the City of Brockton to sell to neighboring communities.

Question 17 – How high will the stack be?
A: 250 ft.

Question 18 – Has Advanced Power developed similar facilities?
A: Yes. Advanced Power North America is based in Boston and run by veterans of the New England energy industry. The Senior Management of Advanced Power has developed 9,000 MW of generation throughout the world. Currently, Advanced Power is developing over 4,000 MW of generation in Europe and the United States with 850 MW currently in construction. Advanced Power, together with its partner, Siemens Financial Services are the owners of BCE. Siemens is one of the largest industrial technology companies in the world and designs and builds the type of gas and steam turbine to be used in the BCE plant.

Question 19 – Will Advanced Power be the facility operator?
A: No. Operations will be carried out by a professional operations contractor who has extensive experience operating these plants safely.

Question 20 – Has BCE conducted noise studies?
A: Yes. Ambient noise was studied during the MEPA process as part of the Draft and Final Environmental Impact Report. Modern power plants are surprisingly quiet and BCE is no exception. The State has limited the project noise to less than 5db at nearest residential receptor during the quietest night time hour. For perspective, 20 decibels is the same as whisper, making the plant virtually unnoticeable to its neighbors. BCE will install substantial and expensive noise mitigation equipment in the BCE plant and these noise mitigations have been required by the MA State Energy Facility Sighting Board.

Question 21 – Are there any public safety risks I need to be aware of (will the facility blow up)?
A: No. BCE has had discussions with the operators of several of these facilities no problems affecting public health, safety or the environment has been reported. Combined-cycle natural gas facilities are highly regulated and are operated by highly-trained professionals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. BCE takes safety very seriously and places safety its highest priority.
The advanced technology in the facility is designed to shut down immediately in the event of a perceived technological malfunction. At the sign of any irregularity, sensitive instrumentation will automatically shut down the facility and fuel supply.

Question 22 – Will there be coordination between the City of Brockton and the Company?
Yes. The company has worked closely with the Brockton Fire Department to design the site and switchyard fire protection systems and establish emergency response capability for all potential emergency response events including, fire fighting and material spills. The company worked with many City departments to complete a Project Site Plan Review. The company prepared and presented a Draft Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure plan and a Draft Emergency Action Plan as part of the EFSB hearings. These plans will be finalized and approved prior to facility startup. The plan will include Hazardous Materials and Waste Management containment for ULSD and Aqueous Ammonia storage tanks. All liquids stored onsite will be equipped with secondary containment spill prevention and/or proper containment. BCE will spare no expense to make sure it is in full compliance with federal, state, and local ordinances and to assure the City’s community leaders that the plant poses the lowest risk possible. BCE will continue to work with the City of Brockton on an ongoing basis to address any concerns about the possibility of catastrophic event.

Question 23 – Will the plant burn diesel fuel?
A: No. The Plant will not operate on traditional diesel fuel; however, the facility will be designed and permitted to operate on ultra low sulphur distillate (ULSD). ULSD is 300 times cleaner than home heating fuel (traditional diesel).
The primary purpose of ULSD is to act as a back-up fuel source. Back-up fuel sources ensure a reliable energy supply for MA customers in the event of an interrupted (curtailed) gas supply. The Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE) has stated preference for ULSD as a back-up fuel supply to natural gas to increase grid reliability. This being considered, BCE has applied for a maximum of 60 days of Ultra Low Sulphur Distillate fuel use.

Question 24 – Can I of the City purchase electricity directly from the facility?
A: No. BCE will be a wholesale electric power generator and its power will be sold into the New England interstate electrical grid operated by the non-profit ISO-New England. Rates for wholesale power are set by the wholesale auction process is run by ISO-NE. Retail energy is sold by regulated utilities such as NSTAR or National Grid whose rates are regulated by the State of MA DPU. These retail or regulated utilities will then sell the power directly to residents. The retail utilities buy their electric power from the wholesale market operated by ISO-NE.

Question 25 – Can BCE partner with National Grid to develop more support for the project?
A: No. National Grid is a Distribution Company, and they are not responsible for building and owning generation facilities. However, BCE has worked closely with National Grid throughout the development process and will be making $15 million in improvements to the local Brockton electrical grid as part of this project.

Question 26 – What happens if BCE files for bankruptcy? Will there be continued payment to the city?
A: It is unlikely that BCE will file for bankruptcy because the development of natural gas plants is a capital intensive process that will result in an operating asset that will have substantial income generation linked to long-term electricity supply contracts.
That said, if the Project Company was placed into receivership for any reason, it is very likely that the BCE facility would continue to operate to satisfy obligations. Most likely the lenders would sell the operating asset to another company to continue operations.
Project financings are typically structured to give a first priority to costs of operation, which would include property taxes. The lenders will have only two ways to recover their investment: 1) running the plant or 2) selling the plant. In either case, it is highly unlikely that BCE will stop running because it is a state of the art facility will have a significant heat rate and emissions advantage over similar older facilities and will generally remain a profitable operation. In either case property taxes will have to be paid. Property taxes for such plants are paid as a priority payment in bankruptcy.