As the state begins to return to a semblance of normalcy, New Britain’s Energy and Innovation Park project at the former Stanley Black & Decker site will also be coming back to life. The estimated $1 billion energy and data center project began construction late 2019. But when the pandemic happened, the project took a hit. It is still viable, Stewart said, but the project had to take a hard right turn, which includes finding new investors and a new production company that will produce the fuel cells. The city’s original partnership with Connecticut-based Doosan Fuel Cell America has dissolved and will now be working with Bloom Energy, a California-based company that develops clean, sustainable and affordable energy and has a large presence in Connecticut. Mark Wick, a partner with EIP, LLC, the project’s developer, said the change in production companies is like changing a different battery brand. The project is currently in the finalizing stages of securing a financing partner and Wick said the biggest thing holding up the project is the arduous permitting process with the state. Developers forecast construction could happen by the end of this year and the installation of the fuel cells by the end of 2022.
http://www.newbritainherald.com/NBH-New+Britain+News/389742/new-britains-energy-and-innovation-park-project-coming-back-to-life-after-pandemic-took-big-toll-on-progress