For Immediate Release
Norwich, CT. December 20, 2022 – The Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (“CMEEC”) is pleased to announce that its 7.4 MW fuel cell power generation project located on property leased from the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in New London, CT (SUBASE) achieved commercial operations effective December 16, 2022. The natural gas-fired fuel cell project will supply power to CMEEC’s municipal electric utility members and will also enhance the reliability of electric service provided to the SUBASE by CMEEC member Groton Utilities, whose public power electric distribution system is interconnected to the project.
The fuel cells will support the SUBASE ability to “island” its power supply for critical loads to provide increased resiliency and energy security in the event of a broader grid outage. Dave Meisinger, CMEEC’s Chief Executive Officer, stated that ensuring the SUBASE has a resilient source of electric power is a strong priority for the Navy, Groton Utilities, CMEEC and also CMEEC’s partner in this project, Groton Station Fuel Cell, LLC, a subsidiary of Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy Inc., who owns and operates the project.
An added benefit, according to Mr. Meisinger, is that the clean energy output of the fuel cells will help to further Connecticut’s decarbonization goals as established by Governor Lamont and later codified by the state legislature:
We are pleased to have reached commercial operation of this important project. Although it has been a long time coming, we are satisfied that the benefits to our partners, the United States Navy and FuelCell Energy, will be worth the wait. We also anticipate that our members, and the state as a whole, will reap benefits from this long-term project as CMEEC and Groton Utilities continue to advance our partnership with the Navy at the SUBASE that has spanned now over four decades. We appreciate the hard work and patience of our partners in this endeavor, and in particular I want to express my personal “Thank You” to the hard-working Navy personnel at the SUBASE, as well as the dedicated staff of Groton Utilities and FuelCell Energy, who all worked together to ensure the success of this project.
About the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative
CMEEC is a political subdivision of the State of Connecticut created in 1976 pursuant to Chapter 101a of the Connecticut General Statutes. It is a non-profit municipal joint-action electric supply agency that provides the wholesale power supply requirements of six municipal electric utilities with retail service territories in Connecticut, as well as for other customers who purchase power at
wholesale. Its municipal electric utility members are Bozrah Light & Power, Jewett City Department of Public Utilities, Groton Utilities, Norwich Public Utilities, South Norwalk Electric
and Water, and The Third Taxing District of Norwalk Electric Division. CMEEC also supplies the wholesale power requirements of the Mohegan Tribal Utility Authority. For further information about CMEEC, please see https://cmeec.com/