Power plant in key phase

Builder says report will soothe critics

A sign at the entrance to the industrial park in Brockton in October showed local opposition. (ROSE LINCOLN/File/The Boston Globe)

Developers of the proposed Brockton power plant have filed a state environmental report that they say will rebut any serious opposition to the project. The move marks the beginning of a pivotal stage in the state permitting process that may well determine the fate of the controversial fossil fuel plant.

Ron Kelly, manager for the plant contruction project known by its company name, Brockton Clean Energy, said the final environmental impact report, required by the state, addresses everything from the plant's aesthetics to its impact on the environment.

"We have been through an exhaustive process on this to try and get these answers," he said. "This report should allay any of those fears."

The document - filed last week by Advanced Power Services, the Boston company behind Brockton Clean Energy, with the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs - will be used as the official reference for environmental issues during the final stages of the permitting process.

State officials have to approve the report before the developer can seek construction permits with the state Department of Environmental Protection, and the report will be used during critical hearings before the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, which will determine if the Brockton location is proper for a power plant. That process could occur by the end of the year.

The outcome will be heavily influenced by the report's explanation of the impacts the 350-megawatt, natural gas-fired plant will have on the surrounding environment.

The power plant proposal has met stiff opposition from residents near the Oak Hill Way Industrial Park where the plant would be built. They see the 250-foot-high stack as a detriment to the neighborhood, and say the power plant gases would harm the environment. The proposal was a central issue in last year's mayoral raise, when Mayor James Harrington announced his opposition.

Brockton Clean Energy has maintained that the state-of-the-art facility would be the cleanest in the Northeast, and Kelly says its construction is key to meeting the region's future energy needs. Energy regulators predicted those needs will grow 1.7 percent a year over the next 10 years.

Kelly said the proposed plant would replace older, "dirty" power plants that produce greenhouse gases.

"This isn't your father's power plant," he said. "That's what the Brockton power plant is all about. We're a power plant for the 21st century."

Much of the opposition to the proposal has been based on the plant's location. The Oak Hill Way Industrial Park allows for power plants, but opponents argue the scale of Brockton Clean Energy is too large for a neighborhood with two schools and a high-rise apartment building for seniors located within a mile.

State Senator Robert Creedon, a Democrat from Brockton, inserted an amendment in the state Clean Energy Bill that would ban the construction of power plants within a mile of school facilities - a move aimed at stopping the Brockton plant. The amendment cleared the Senate but failed in the House. A joint committee will decide whether to include it in the final bill.

Kelly argued that any attempts to influence the Brockton project at the state level would be a slippery slope, allowing local legislators to prevent the new plant construction needed for the state's future energy needs. A proposal for a similar power plant in Walpole has already met opposition from residents in that town.

Kelly said the final environmental report should restore the public confidence that eroded during the mayoral campaign. The issues rightfully raised then, he said, "have been answered in the environmental impact report."

The report specifically addresses concerns about the project's gas emissions and its proposed use of coolant water from the city's wastewater treatment facility. Kelly said much of the 2 million gallons of water used daily would evaporate during the cooling process - and all the water returned to the wastewater facility would be filtered first.

Kelly also said the plant would be an economic boon for the city. Along with tax revenue from the plant, the city would receive more than $500,000 for the use of its wastewater treatment facility. Brockton might also receive "host fees" for locating the project here.

Kelly said he's confident city councilors will endorse the plan once they see the final report. "They should feel comfortable with it."

By the end of March, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs could decide whether the final environmental impact report sufficiently addresses all environmental questions. Public comments on the report are now being accepted. Then the Energy Facilities Siting Board will take on the question of whether the industrial park is a suitable location.

City Councilor Thomas Brophy, a legislative aide to Creedon, said officials are more concerned with the location of the plant than anything else.

"It's not so much with the plan, it's the proximity of this plan to a residential neighborhood that we're concerned with," he said.

He said the Legislature should have a say in determining a proper site for a power plant. He reiterated Creedon's argument that as much as power plants are in demand, they have not been proposed in more affluent parts of the state.

He said he expects local leaders in Brockton and neighboring West Bridgewater, as well as conservation groups, will join arguments against the proposed location.

"This is so close to residential neighborhoods, the plant will have a terrible affect on residents' quality of life," he said. "Our constituents don't want this."

Opposition groups including the Taunton River Watershed Coalition and neighborhood groups from Brockton and West Bridgewater have signed on as interested parties in the case.

A decade ago, a company with ties to Advanced Power Services followed the same application process but scrapped plans for a power plant when the market for construction made it too costly. At the time, that group's final report had been approved.

Kelly said the newest application is much stronger, based on the latest in power plant technology. It follows state preferences for power plants by using dual-fired technology - allowing for the use of diesel fuel during periods in the winter when natural gas resources are limited. The plan also is following the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that have been set by the state, Kelly said. "That's what this plan's all about, and that's why it's a great plant for the region," he said.

Milton J. Valencia can be reached at valencia@globe.com.