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March 6, 2008

Power company is committed to plant safety

I am writing in response to The Sun's Feb. 26 article in which our proposed power plant was characterized by a 27-year Chelmsford resident as a "weapon." This individual has never contacted us about his concerns and is not familiar with the detailed emergency response and site security plans that have been developed in recent months with the town of Billerica. This person is also unaware of our commitment to the Chelmsford town manager regarding briefing his public-safety personnel about our plans, as well personnel in Tewksbury and Lowell.

With that being said, we respect and understand the concerns of the residents in Chelmsford and their elected officials. We have developed three other power plants in the state, and they have operated with a solid safety record. I have written to the officials in these communities reiterating our commitment to the safety of the plant and our willingness to have an open and honest discussion with them about our contingency plans as we have already done in Billerica. Finally, long before plant construction commences these plans will be detailed in our final environmental impact statement and reviewed by the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the state fire marshal.

Our plant will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by personnel at our Lowell plant, which is less than 10 minutes from the site as stated in the site security and emergency response plans. We will have secured Internet connection with police, fire and our plant. Additionally, sensors and cameras will be monitoring the site and will have the ability to shut down all key equipment remotely. In fact, our primary response with any alarm will be to shut the plant down immediately and then consult with safety officials.
We also have agreed to the recommendations of the Billerica Fire Department to fully enclose our ammonia tank. This will result in a condition of no hazard off the site during an ammonia tank release. We reiterate that that this is an aqueous ammonia system with 81 percent water content comparable to certain household products and not the type of ammonia (anhydrous) found in refrigeration and water treatment plants. Operating personnel will be on-site during all operating periods and for all deliveries, and we will make arrangements for police details when our personnel are not at the site.

On Sept. 11, 2001, and the days thereafter, I spent countless hours with power plant operators around the country, police and homeland security watching over these critical power plants. Safety is in the culture of the electric power industry, and the results speak for themselves. We commit to the same culture with our neighbors in and around Billerica.

JOSEPH FITZPATRICK

DG Clean Power, CEO

Posted by Admin at March 6, 2008 12:55 PM