Bridgeport’s Energy Source is Getting a Facelift

Power Connecticut LLCBRIDGEPORT HARBOR

STATION NEWS

Today, Bridgeport Harbor Station, our local energy

generating plant, is engaged in an environmental,

technological and economic renaissance. This newsletter allows you, our neighbor, to stay up-to-date on our latest

projects, community activities and efforts to

improve the quality of life in Greater Bridgeport.

“We [PSEG] have to breathe the same air our neighbors do.”

—BHS STATION MANAGER

KARL WINTERMEYER

ContaCt UsDo you have questions or concerns about Bridgeport Harbor Station?

Call our Public Liaison Officer:

i 888-409-4220

OCTOBER 2017

Visible from across Bridgeport Harbor, one can see a new, environmentally friendly power station that harnesses cutting-edge technology to power the future of the Greater Bridgeport Region. The project, known as Bridgeport Harbor Station 5 (BHS5), will add 485 megawatts of highly efficient generating capacity to Connecticut’s southwestern region, powering more than 500,000 homes with clean, sustainable energy.

PSEG has finalized plans to retire Bridgeport Harbor Station 3 (BHS3), the coal plant with the iconic stack that has been in service for more than 50 years. BHS5 will be a combined-cycle plant, which uses both gas and steam turbines together for generation and is significantly more efficient than past technologies. The fuel source will be supplied to Bridgeport Harbor Station from an existing natural gas line owned by Southern Connecticut Gas.

To increase reliability, BHS5 also has the ability to run on ultra-low sulfur distillate as a backup fuel.

Built by local union labor from the Greater Bridgeport Region, the new power plant will generate up to 350 construction jobs during the two-year construction phase.

The unit will also meet all applicable federal and state emissions regulations.

“We [PSEG] have to breathe the same air our neighbors do,” BHS Station Manager Karl Wintermeyer said.

The BHS5 project represents an invest-ment of more than $550 million in the local and regional economy. The new plant and its construction will provide Bridgeport with significant new tax revenue and help meet the region’s growing demand for electricity. BHS5 is scheduled to begin operation in June 2019.

Bridgeport Native Helping to Grow Local Economy Vincent Fiumidinisi doesn’t have to look very far from the upper floors of the Bridgeport Harbor Station to see his childhood neighborhood. The manager of multiple operations for PSEG Power Connecticut LLC is proud to be the Bridgeport Harbor Station Plant 3 Manager.

The grandchild of Italian immigrants, he remembers the days when he worked in his father’s Barbershop on Hancock Avenue in the city’s West End. Vincent’s father began working in his father’s barber shop in 1928 (pictured right 3rd barber, above) eventually opening his own shop in 1958, the Hancock Barber Shop. If you’re like Vinny, you also remember Monsignor Genuario from his old

St. Anthony’s Grammar School. It’s there, and at Kolbe High School, that he developed into the young man who would later serve in the Army for three years.

Vinny has been employed at the Bridgeport Harbor Station for 31 years. In 1986, Vinny started as a fuel handler and worked his way up to the position of Plant 3 Manager, to which he was appointed this past May. Quite an accomplishment for the local guy with just one year of college under his belt. He started in a supervisory position in 2009, and was also a part time union officer during his career. Currently, Vinny is in charge of Bridgeport Harbor Station 3, New Haven Harbor Station, and the New Haven Harbor Peaking Units.

There are 105 people employed at the three sites and two of the sites report directly to Vinny. Of the employees, 75 of the 105 are unionized. Vinny is proudest to say that about 10 of the plant employees are Bridgeport residents. In all, the man from

Bridgeport’s West End is also tasked with managing a multi-million dollar operational budget.

Vinny and his wife Pamela have two grown children Jessica and Anthony. “PSEG has afforded me and my family many opportuni-ties,” he stated. About the company he said, “PSEG provides opportunity for employees to develop their skillset whatever position you may hold.” His major areas of respon-sibility for the plant’s first local born plant manager are its safety programs and plant reliability.

Vinny says he’s happy to work for a company that has built a good relationship with Bridgeport organizations and its community members; a company on the verge of the largest Bridgeport construction project in more than 40 years. That, as you may have guessed, is very important to the boy who got his start sweeping up the hair clippings from the floor of his father’s West End Barbershop.

Vinny’s Grandfather’sbarber shop, circa 1930

MEET OUR BRIDGEPORT HARBOR STATION 5 PROJECT TEAM

PROJECT DIRECTOR

Scott MathesonSITE CIVIL SUPERINTENDENT

Raymond NorregaardCOL / LIAISON

Hugo QuintanaSITE ADMINISTRATOR

Madelene Hellens

What is the ETF? By signing the CEBA, PSEG agreed to create a $2 million Community Environmental Fund to be administered by the city appointed Environmental Task Force (ETF). Governmental entities and non-profit organizations in the community may apply for grants through this fund for various projects and programs within certain guidelines, such as health-related projects and projects focused on creating environmental benefits for Bridgeport residents.

The Environmental Task Force, appointed by the Mayor, community groups and subject to confirmation by the City Council, works to guide the process by which community environmental improvement projects can be supported and funded thru a $2 million, PSEG-funded grant. Chosen investments, yet to be determined by the ETF, will be those that will help to create a cleaner environ-ment in the urban center of Bridgeport.

The Environmental Task Force meets regularly and serves as a forum for ideas and community input. Membership cur-rently includes Stuart Sachs, of Groundwork Bridgeport, Chairman of the Task Force; Sharon Lewis of the Connecticut Coalition

for Environmental Justice; Carmen Nieves, President of the South End NRZ; Jack Banta, City Councilman of the 130th District; Alma Maya, City Neighborhood Liaison; Daniel Roach of the Mayor’s Office; Max Perez of the City OPED; Mark Anastasia, City Attorney. A final ETF member has yet to be appointed.

The ETF will make funding decisions over the next year with input from the community.

With the signing of the CEBA, PSEG, the City of Bridgeport and the community have made a commitment to a clean energy future in Bridgeport, highlighting environmental justice and a cleaner environment for our entire region.

What is CEBA? For years, local communities have sought to mitigate the environmental impact of coal-fired power plants. In an effort to produce cleaner energy, PSEG Power Connecticut LLC, in collaboration with the City of Bridge-port and local community organizations, signed a Community Environmental Benefit Agreement (CEBA). As part of the CEBA, PSEG has agreed to finalize plans to retire the coal plant and to begin construction on a new natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant. The CEBA is intended to create a process that would provide a means by which community needs and environmental concerns could be addressed.

PSEG has made a number of commitments to the City and to the Greater Bridgeport region, as stipulated by the CEBA. Among them is a $2 million grant to the Environ-mental Task Force, a committee nominated

by Bridgeport Mayor Ganim, to advance the purpose of the Environmental Justice Act, to achieve maximum public health and environmental benefit for the air quality in the neighborhoods surrounding Bridgeport Harbor Station.

In addition to the community environmental benefit fund, PSEG has also agreed to create a $5 million Renewable Energy Investment Program. The program will promote renewable energy projects within the City of Bridgeport that are recommend-ed by the City and ETF, and meet PSEG investment guidelines. This initiative will further opportunities within the City related to renewable energy investments or programs.

Mayor Ganim has stated that the “Community Environmental Benefits Agreement is a huge boost to the Bridgeport community and just one of the many positive impacts resulting from the building of the new natural gas-fired power plant.”

In addition to Mayor Ganim, the CEBA was signed by other members of the Bridgeport community, including the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, the University of Bridgeport, South End Revitalization Zone Committee and West Side/West End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Implementation Committee.

PSEG’s new power plant will run primarily on natural gas, but will also have the capa-bility to run on ultra-low sulfur distillate as a back-up fuel. The backup fuel ensures fuel diversity and thus increases the reliability of the electric grid. The unit will be fully equipped with advanced emissions control technology and meet all federal and state emissions regulations.

PSEG Power Connecticut is committed to ensuring that the future of energy production includes increased reliability, is environmentally responsible, and moves forward toward a more sustainable future in the City of Bridgeport.

Power Connecticut LLC

Camp Tours BHS 3 Whether you live in the historic East End, the suburban North, the bustling West Side or by seaside’s South End, Park City residents have seen the tall Bridgeport Stack. Commonly referred to as the red-and-white tower, the structure peaks over the city’s skyline and even pierces the view of a few neighboring towns.

On August 8th, about thirty energy-infused youth were grant-ed access to explore Bridgeport Harbor Station 3. “There’s the candy-cane!” stated one child as she pointed to the smoke stack. The group, hailing from Shiloh Baptist Church summer camp, explored PSEG Power CT’s interior and exterior office space, the factory turbine deck and learned about the ins and outs of Bridgeport’s most visible industrial factory in the city.

PSEG employees and the counselors spent time educating the kids on the various ways to make electricity. They asked questions about the importance of all the types of power plants (i.e. solar, fossil fuel, nuclear). The kids were energetic and excited about seeing an electrical power plant.

“As Bridgeport’s children learn and grow, so does PSEG. Inviting them inside the facility widens their perspective and gives us insight into the city’s future residents. Just like them, we too are learning how to serve Bridgeport better,” stated Station Manager, Karl Wintermeyer.

As PSEG preps the facility’s soon-to-be retired power plant, the visual and operational structure of the site will live forever in the memories of the select few Bridgeport children.

BRIDGEPORT HARBOR STATION 5 STATISTICS

Bridgeport Harbor Station 51 Atlantic StreetBridgeport, CT 06604

r bridgeportharborstation.com

@bridgeportharborstation

i 888-409-4220

485mwCapaCity

PSEG Bridgeport Harbor Station 5 is a 485-Megawatt (MW) dual-fuel,

combined cycle, electricity- generating plant.

500,000power Generation BHS 5 project will add 485MW

of generating capacity to south-western Connecticut to ensure electric system reliability while powering up to 500,000 homes.

$550mLoCaL & reGionaL

investmentPSEG BHS 5 represents an

investment of more than $550 million in the local and regional

economies.

$20meConomiC Benefit

The new plant will provide Bridgeport with significant new tax revenue and other economic benefits during construction and

throughout its operational life.

350joBs

The BHS 5 Project will be built by local union labor and generate up

to 350 jobs during the two-year construction phase.

$1m+CommUnity sUpport

PSEG BHS has contributed over $1 million to Bridgeport Hospital’s the state-of-the-art burn unit and plans to continue its donations.