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Print Edition StoriesWednesday, July 8, 2009
Chestnut Hill BioEnergy drops plans for Waterbury, Conn. plant
By Jackie Noblett
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Chestnut Hill BioEnergy LLC confirmed Wednesday they are pulling the plug on plans to build a waste-to-energy plant in Waterbury, Conn., amid public outry, but are committed to building a facility elsewhere in the state.
“I think we came to the realization that, while it’s been a frustrating process, it was a small but local minority leading the charge (of opposition),” said Michael Maynard, a principal with the Newton-based energy developer in an interview. “We decided we have pretty strong and universal support at several state agencies and we withdrew our plans.”
The Waterbury, Conn., Republican-American first reported the developers had ended its contract to buy a factory in the city.
Maynard told Mass High Tech that he had worked hard to build support among local government officials for the past two years, but that support collapsed amid the efforts of two “chronic objectors.”
Chestnut Hill BioEnergy proposed to build a facility that would convert food and other waste into energy through anaerobic bacteria digestion. Built in two phases, the facility would have had the capacity to generate 10 megawatts of usable energy.
The company is “energetically looking for other sites” in Connecticut, Maynard said, working with state agencies and private consultants.
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