Power Company Slams Brakes On Proposed Peabody Plant

PEABODY, MA — The push for a proposed gas power plant in Peabody is on at least a temporary hold Tuesday amid a mounting outcry from North Shore residents and elected officials about safety, quality-of-life and environmental concerns surrounding the long-planned project.

The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, which had pushed the plant on the Peabody line near Danvers to satisfy surge capacity requirements for Peabody Municipal Light and the region, said Tuesday morning its board of directors authorized a 30-day "pause" in the project during a special meeting held on Monday.

It said the pause was to address concerns brought before the board, while also "considering available options to fulfill its participants' required capacity obligations under ISO New England rules."

The utility noted that reassessment of a project this far into planning and permit stages is "an unusual step."

"Can we find a way to develop a needed capacity resource that isn't fossil fuel-fired but still reliable in times of need?" Ron DeCurzio, CEO of MMWEC asked in a statement. "Is it worth taking another look at whether advancements in technology make a different approach possible today?"

The plant, which has been in the works for more than five years, moved forward in relative obscurity until recent months when advocacy groups began to publicly criticize the project, and both residents and elected officials started questioning whether the congested city is right for the plant they say is in conflict with the state's new climate law.

In a recent letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, State Rep. Sally Kerans (D-Danvers) said the Waters River substation location near the Peabody and Danvers line already encompasses several "environmental burdens," including Route 128, a propane company, and a pipeline.

"The plan before you is for a gas turbine that can rev up to full capacity in 10 minutes, a new 200,000(-gallon) oil tank, a smokestack, an ammonia storage (container), among several components," she wrote. "All of these bring to mind legitimate concerns about the impact on our environment and our health."

State Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem) and State Rep. Thomas Walsh (D-Peabody) wrote letters with similar objections.

While Peabody Municipal Light issued a statement last week saying that the power plant was the best way to meet the surge capacity requirements in order to avoid a situation like that which occurred this winter in Texas where the grid could not meet demand during a catastrophic event that shut down renewable options such as solar and wind, DeCurzio allowed on Tuesday that much has changed in technology since the project was first proposed, making the need for reassessment even more necessary.

“We are thankful for the significant input we have received from interested stakeholders, including the elected and appointed leaders of the Commonwealth and from municipal officials," DeCurzio said. "We share the zeal expressed by many members of the public for embracing new technologies. Driving toward the best carbon-free technology, while making sure it meets reliability and affordability standards for our communities — that is in our DNA."

The power company said it will spend the next 30 days meeting with stakeholders, including regulators, state officials and neighbors to "consider alternatives and assess their feasibility" before the board of directors reviews the information and chooses whether to try and move forward with the original project.

Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

More Patch Coverage: North Shore Officials, Peabody Light Spar Over Proposed Gas Plant