Footprint Power partners with Toyota Tsusho on Salem Power Station project
Footprint Power LLC has announced it has formed a partnership with Toyota Tsusho for the development of a new natural-gas power plant on the Salem waterfront
Toyota Tsusho is a general trading company and member of the group of companies that includes Toyota Motors Corporation,
The Japanese company will be actively involved in the development process, contributing
financially to the project as well as providing its expertise in development and operation of electric generating facilities, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
Footprint, a New Jersey-based energy start-up, acquired the Salem Harbor Power Station from Dominion Energy, Inc. last month with the intention of demolishing the 61-year-old coal-and-oil plant, remediating the area and constructing a new natural gas plant.
The new plant, which is scheduled to begin operating in June 2016, is expected to take up about one-third of the 65-acre site which will allow commercial development on the remainder of the land.
The power output of the new plant will be reduced from about 630 megawatts, compared to 745 megawatts for the current plant.
"We are delighted to add a world class organization with Toyota's resources and experience as a member of our team," Peter Furniss, CEO of Footprint said in a statement. "We look forward to working together with Toyota Tsusho to successfully develop a new, clean, efficient facility that will serve as the economic engine that will drive redevelopment of the rest of the non-power portions of the site."
A statement announcing a public hearing on the project released by the state's Energy Facilities Siting Board details some of Footprint's specific proposals relative to the new plant. The public hearing will be held at Salem High School on September 19 at 7 p.m.
According to Siting Board officials, Footprint plans to construct its new facility on the northwest 16-acre portion of the site in a 115,000-square-foot building, ranging from 26 to 125-feet high, with a 230-foot main stack.
The current power plant is made up of multiple buildings totaling 205,000-square-feet, with its tallest stack standing approximately 500 feet high.
Ryan Mooney can be reached at globe.mooney@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @mooney_ryan.
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