(BRIDGEPORT, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today joined state and local leaders to announce that a formal agreement has been reached to transfer ownership of the decommissioned PSEG coal plant in Bridgeport to a private developer, Bridgeport Station Development. As a result, abatement and demolition activities will begin on the site in the coming weeks. This work is expected to be completed within three years.
The state, through the Community Investment Fund, is providing $22.5 million for the demolition and remediation of the contaminated plant. The Community Investment Fund is a statewide program created to foster economic development in historically underserved communities. It is overseen by a 21-member board and administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
“This 33-acre shoreline property containing a former coal plant with a 500-foot smokestack has cut off access to the waterfront for Bridgeport residents for more than 70 years, and the contamination it has left behind has caused a significant hurdle in how this land could possibly be redeveloped and brought back into productive use to the benefit of the community,” Governor Lamont said. “Nobody wants to have an old, polluted, unused and blighted building sitting on the shoreline of our state’s largest city when we could be using this property to grow new jobs and build housing for people who need it. This transformational project in Bridgeport demonstrates how our investments are leveraging significant private sector investments and unlocking new growth opportunities. These efforts help to enhance community vibrancy, clean up the environment, increase our housing supply, and create jobs.”
The plant, previously known as the Bridgeport Harbor Station, opened in the 1950s and provided energy to southwestern Connecticut factories and businesses. After subsequent changes in ownership, PSEG Power Connecticut purchased the property in 2002 but it ceased operations in 2021. The plant has sat vacant since and has been a source of blight and stifled investment in the neighborhood.
Bridgeport is an Environmental Justice Community, which is defined as a distressed municipality or a defined census block where 30% of the population is living below 200% of the federal poverty level. These populations are disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards, pollutions, and other environmental injustices. The project addresses this environmental injustice, and the plant’s demolition will reconnect nearby neighborhoods to the harbor.
“Connecticut’s long-term economic resurgence is largely dependent on our ability to grow equitably,” DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe said. “As this project demonstrates, we continue to focus on ways to open up new pathways for growth and investment and improve the quality of life for all our state’s residents. The Community Investment Fund is one of the most impactful tools we have to strengthen our cities and towns, making them more vibrant and attractive places to live, work, visit, and play.”
“For years, Bridgeporters have dreamed about what might be possible at the former PSEG site,” Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim said. “Now, thanks to Governor Lamont, the Bridgeport delegation, and the Community Investment Fund, Bridgeport’s waterfront will see a major transformation and environmental remediation which will pave the way for economic development, job creation, and housing to meet the demands of our city and region.”
For decades, Bridgeport Harbor Station was an invaluable power generator for the City of Bridgeport and surrounding areas. In 1968, the station burned both coal and oil for power generation, and in 2002 it was converted to exclusively burn coal, producing 400 megawatts of power during periods of peak power demand. During the lifetime of the coal plant, approximately 1 million tons of coal was burned. In 2019, a high-efficiency natural gas fired 485-megawatt power plant went online, ceasing coal combustion and allowing PSEG to move to a cleaner source of fuel for power generation.
For many years, the storage of coal at the site resulted in heavy metals leaching out of the material and into the underlying groundwater. In 2002, PSEG acquired the plant and initiated environmental investigation and cleanup of underutilized portions of the property. In 2019, the “truck repair” area of the site was transferred to United Illuminating for construction of a new electrical substation. Additionally, following the conversion to natural gas as a fuel source, the former tank farm for oil storage was removed. The environmental investigations of areas that were formerly inaccessible due to coal and oil storage are currently ongoing.
“The cleanup and redevelopment of polluted sites like this one is a top priority for DEEP and is key to driving well-placed economic development in Connecticut,” Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “This significant investment in Bridgeport to demolish this former power plant will allow the public to access nearly 2,000 feet of shoreline along Bridgeport Harbor. The transformation of this brownfield site from blight to community asset will strengthen our economy, protect the health of Connecticut’s citizens, and improve our environment. DEEP will continue to work with DECD, municipal partners, and developers as we continue to advance Connecticut’s unprecedented investment in brownfields in large cities, suburbs, and rural communities throughout the state.”
Bridgeport Station Development has extensive experience in demolition, brownfield cleanup, and redevelopment of coal-fired power plants, most recently with the demolition of the former B.L. England coal-fired power plant in Beesley’s Point, New Jersey.
While the specific end use of the property is not known at this time, its redevelopment will be guided by state requirements that it be repurposed for residential, commercial, water-focused access, or recreational purposes. The project is also subject to local and state approval and permitting processes.
“We are grateful to PSEG, the State of Connecticut, and the City of Bridgeport for entrusting us with the opportunity to transform this expansive waterfront property into a thriving community asset,” Chad Parks of Bridgeport Station Development said. “Recognizing that ideas and visions for its reuse have been discussed within the community for years, we are excited to collaborate with local stakeholders to create a redevelopment plan that prioritizes public access, resiliency, and sustainability – all guided by community input.”