Footprint Power Issues Statement Ahead of Rallies

Dear Friends and Neighbors: 

As operation of the existing Salem Harbor Station winds down and we prepare to begin the construction on Footprint Power’s new natural gas fired power plant, we wanted to make sure you are aware that several groups have announced their intention to stage a protest of the new plant on Saturday, February 8.

It is our understanding that the protest march will begin at Salem Common at about 2:00 p.m., will move past the Derby Wharf on its way down Derby Street to the power plant and then will end up back at the Hawthorne Hotel. The Salem Police, Coast Guard and other appropriate authorities have been working to ensure that the protest proceeds in a peaceful fashion.

Safety and security are our top priorities and we will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of the staff, our site and our community. 

Many of you have attended the numerous public and neighborhood meetings that we have conducted over the past two years. If the groups organizing Saturday’s event had done the same, they would have learned that our new facility is not only critically important to maintaining electric reliability for the Greater Boston area, but that it uses its state-of-the-art emissions controls and unprecedented efficiency to achieve dramatic, system-wide reductions in greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

In fact, our facility is so efficient that it is actually projected to reduce natural gas usage in New England by displacing less efficient gas units. These are not just our opinions, but represent uncontroverted facts tested over many months of hearings and encompassed in the project’s state and local permits. The groups coming into our community on Saturday are entitled to their opinions, and have every right to express them peacefully. They do not have a right to their own facts. 

One more note about Saturday’s demonstration – you will likely hear and see a great deal about the need for more of our region’s energy to be produced by renewable resources like wind and solar.

What you should know is that we agree. In fact, the fast-start, highly flexible units we are constructing at Salem Harbor will support over 1,500MW of new renewable resources – allowing Massachusetts to build the renewable generating portfolio it wants and needs without compromising reliability. For more information, please visit our website – www.footprintpower.com – or contact our Director of Public Affairs, Marcia MacClary at mmacclary@footprintpower.com. 

We appreciate your attention and are grateful for your continued support of both Footprint and the dedicated staff of Salem Harbor Station. We are proud to be part of the Salem community and proud to call you neighbors and friends.

Peter G. Furniss, CEO 

Scott G. Silverstein, President & COO