Seven Berkshire County towns among those left vulnerable by state s new biomass rules, observers say berkshireeagle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from berkshireeagle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Matt Ristaino Pittsfield
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. – The Pittsfield Generating power plant on Merrill Road in Pittsfield is what’s called a ‘peaker plant,’ meaning it only operates a few days per year, when the electrical grid is maxed out.
“They call in these last, very expensive, very polluting plants, to meet that last little bit of need,” said Jane Winn, executive director of Berkshire Environmental Action Team.
What You Need To Know
B.E.A.T. wants ‘peaker plants’ in Pittsfield to switch to green energy
Peaker plants only operate a few days per year, when electricity demand is highest
PITTSFIELD â With the air-quality permit for a Merrill Road power plant set to expire in October, several local groups want the plantâs owner to consider switching to cleaner alternatives.
Maryland-based private equity firm Hull Street Energy owns the plant at 235 Merrill Road and has filed for a renewal of its permit. But, a coalition of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team and 20 other local groups is concerned about pollution from the gas-fired plant, which sits next to Allendale Elementary School and is within a mile of Pittsfieldâs Morningside neighborhood.
A âpeakerâ power plant, Pittsfield Generating, typically runs only a few days a year, during the highest points of electricity demand. The plant ran just 5 percent of the time in 2019 and 2 percent of the time in 2020, according to research group Synapse Energy.
As Pittsfield power plant seeks permit renewal, environmental groups call for clean-energy transition berkshireeagle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from berkshireeagle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.