US-based project firm Footprint Power has awarded a contract to Iberdrola Ingenieria, the engineering subsidiary of Spanish utility firm Iberdrola, to develop a 674MW combined cycle power plant (CCGT) in Salem, Massachusetts, US.
The facility will be located approximately 30km away from Boston in an environmentally friendly building, which has been designed by Cookfox Architects.
According to the deal, Iberdrola will construct a natural gas-fuelled quick-start plant at the site, which will replace the existing coal-fired Salem Harbor Station.
As well as handling engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning works for the project, Iberdrola Ingenieria will also undertake landscaping work at the facility, after construction.
Iberdrola will incorporate General Electric’s (GE) flex-efficiency design at the facility, in order to boost its operational flexibility standards.
Once operational, the Salem CCGT plant will be able to meet energy requirements of 280,000 people, Iberdrola said.
The old coal-fired plant, which has been de-commissioned, was built 63 years ago. The new, smaller gas plant will not only free up space at the site, but will also reduce CO2 emissions.
Construction of the power plant is also expected to promote social and economic development in the region, as it can offer business opportunities for the locals, as well as approximately 600 jobs.