Plans to build a 55-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Peabody have been put on hold as the proposed facility's owner addresses environmental and health concerns and considers alternate energy options.
Proposed Peabody power plant put on hold for 30 days
May 12, 2021 GMT
PEABODY, Mass. (AP) Plans to build a 55-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Peabody have been put on hold as the proposed facility’s owner addresses environmental and health concerns and considers alternate energy options.
The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co.’s board of directors voted to authorize a minimum 30-day pause on the plans this week, The Salem News reported Wednesday.
MMWEC called pausing the project, which has been in the works since 2015, “an unusual step.”
“Can we find a way to develop a needed capacity resource that isn’t fossil fuel-fired but still reliable in times of need?” company CEO Ron DeCurzio said in a statement. “It is worth taking another look at whether advancements in technology make a different approach possible today.”