Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions |
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| Q: | Why should I support this project? |
| A: | Because we are all consuming more electricity for the electricity-driven necessities and modern conveniences of life. New sources of power are needed in Massachusetts to keep up with load growth and keep wholesale markets competitive. Competitive wholesale markets keep prices in check on our electric bills.
Combined-cycle natural gas technology is magnitudes cleaner than other conventional technologies. This is not the power station of our father’s day. Significant environmental and efficiency advancements have created facilities that now mesh with the fabric of the community. Moreover, we should support this project because it is the right thing to do environmentally. According to Princeton scientists Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow who've published their findings in Science there are 15 separate activities, if undertaken, that can stabilize global climate change. One of these so-called “stabilization wedges” is building 1400 new natural gas facilities to displace old coal burning facilities. The Walpole Energy Center is designed to do just that. |
| Q: | How will the community benefit from hosting this facility? |
| A: | In addition to generating power to drive the local and regional economy, the Walpole Energy Center will contribute $40 million in additional revenue to the town over the first 20 years and an additional $8 million in local fees immediately. This increased revenue can be used to support local services such as schools, sports and recreation programs, and infrastructure maintenance and development, while reducing the burden on the taxpayers. |
| Q: | What will be the major impacts to my community from this facility? |
| A: | Aside from a short period during construction when jobsite activity may create some extra traffic around town, the overall impact on the community, from a negative standpoint, will be minimal. |
Environmental Protection |
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| Q. | How much water will the facility use and how will the facility minimize water consumption? |
| A. | Water use will be about 70,000 gallons per day. The operations at the Walpole Energy Center will be air cooled, which reduces local water requirements by at least 97%. The facility will capture steam generated during operation which will be condensed back into water and recycled through the plant to produce additional power. Based on initial review, it seems that the town has sufficient water resources to provide the required water volumes. |
| Q. | Will there be noise? |
| A. | CPV is committed to designing and building a facility with very low sound emissions. The facility will be specifically designed with extensive sound control measures and will meet or exceed DEP's sound standard at all residential areas. In fact, the facility will be designed to be essentially imperceptible during the quietest time of the night in residential areas. The Industrial Road site offers the advantage of being relatively distant from residential neighborhoods in comparison to many other power plants in Massachusetts. The closet residential neighborhood is located about 2,300 feet from the site boundary. |
Safety |
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| Q. | What fire safety and security measure has CPV taken? |
| A. | The Walpole Energy Center will be constructed with the most advanced fire protection, safety, and security systems. A comprehensive fire detection and prevention design, consisting of both automated systems and fireproof enclosures, will provide numerous means of protection that include an on-site fire protection water system, a carbon dioxide fire protection system, and portable fire extinguishers.
The facility's extinguishing systems will include two dedicated fire pumps with a capacity of 2,500 gallons per minute each, as well as sprinklers and hydrants throughout the property. These systems will be monitored 24 hours a day by highly trained plant operators and undergo regular maintenance checks to ensure their reliability. The Walpole Fire Department will have open access to the facility in order to review safety and risk mitigation plans as well as perform fire code inspections. All costs associated with the review of plans and inspections, and mitigation of issues related to fire safety will be borne by CPV. All facility employees will undergo extensive safety training and, during operation, all facility systems will be monitored 24 hours-a-day. |
CPV Walpole 35 Braintree Hill Office Park Suite 400 Braintree, MA 02184
Copyright © 2008 CPV Walpole