BOND begins site work at $1 billion Salem Harbor Energy Center

BOND has been engaged by Footprint Power to begin preliminary site work at the Salem Harbor Energy Center. A combined-cycle gas turbine electric generating plant, the 674MW station will provide efficient, low-emission power to more than 600,000 homes in New England. BOND has been engaged by the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor Iberdrola Engineering Projects to provide civil and utility construction and site work services for the project. The firm's scope of work will include the installation of more than 1,600 piles, 250,000 tons of imported backfill, and 22,000 cubic yards of concrete. BOND will also excavate and install nearly 30,000 linear feet of piping and conduit on the site. The $1 billion, natural-gas-fired Salem Harbor Energy Center will produce clean electrical power, reducing regional nitric oxide emissions by 10 percent, sulfur dioxide emissions by 8 percent, and mercury emissions by 6 percent. The incorporation of two General Electric 7F 5-series gas turbines into the plant will make it one of the most environmentally-advanced in the country, reducing carbon emissions by an average of approximately 450,000 tons per year. These turbines will also facilitate the first "Rapid Response" power island in New England, providing the plant with the capability to add 300 MW of power to the grid within 10 minutes, adding to wind and other renewable energy sources in the area. The Center will be built on the site of the 65-year-old, decommissioned coal-and-oil-fired Salem Harbor Station generating plant. It will occupy less than a third of the former plant's space, freeing up crucial room on the Salem waterfront for recreation, retail, and commercial development. Expanded facilities for ferries, fishing vessels, and cruise ships are also planned. Working closely with Iberdrola and Footprint Power, BOND will integrate "good neighbor" policies into their work plan to reduce the impact of construction on surrounding residents and businesses. As part of this effort, BOND will be bringing in shipments of gravel via ocean vessel to minimize the amount of truck traffic on local streets. The team will collaborate with Footprint to deliver a smaller, quieter, and cleaner plant that includes design features to reduce sound levels and visual impact to the adjacent historic downtown Salem. "BOND is honored to be a part of this world-class, high-performance energy plant," said Robert Murray, BOND president. "This project supports our focus on delivering sustainable projects and integrating renewable resources into our community as much as possible."