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February 11, 2008

Opponents of Somerset gas plant to meet tonight

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
The Somerset Station power plant on Riverside Avenue, north of the Brightman Street Bridge, as it appears today.

SOMERSET, Mass. -- Groups hoping to block a plan that would allow the town's smaller electric power plant to convert coal into synthetic natural gas will hold a "public citizen's hearing" tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the AmVets Hall, 659 Brayton Ave.

NRG Energy, which owns the Somerset Station, says the conversion process, which uses high energy gas, is clean, efficient and would allow the plant to also burn clean biomass, such as wood chips.

But critics say NRG should stick to its original 2002 promise to either close the facility or convert the plant from coal to clean natural gas by 2010.

There is fear that the gassification process could be used to burn construction and demolition debris, which can contain dangerous and unregulated chemicals.

NRG says that won't happen without further approval from the Massachusetts Department of Environment Protection. Last month the DEP approved the plasma gassification process for coal and clean biomass. Environmental groups are appealing.

The plant, formerly known as Montaup, is three miles northeast of the much larger Brayton Point Power Station.

-- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 4:13 PM | Permalink

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