The cooling towers at the former Brayton Point coal plant are imploded
April 27, 2019 (SOMERSET, MA) – Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) was on site today as the cooling towers of Massachusetts’ last coal-fired power plant were imploded. Brayton Point was once the largest coal plant in New England until it shut down in 2017 amid fierce community opposition and legal challenges from CLF.
“The last symbol of dirty coal in Massachusetts has come tumbling down, and a coal-free New England is within our reach,” said Sean Mahoney, Executive Vice President at CLF. “Brayton Point spewed toxic pollution into nearby communities for decades, sickening residents and devastating our environment. Now residents can literally breathe easier as clean, renewable energy will rise out of the rubble of this dirty, polluting dinosaur.”
CLF worked for years to shut down Brayton Point, the largest of the “filthy five” coal plants in Massachusetts. CLF filed a lawsuit regarding carbon emissions from this polluting coal plant, and also released an analysis of the facility highlighting the facility’s bleak financial future. Soon after the report and lawsuit, Dominion Energy sold the plant to energy investment company Energy Capital Partners 2013. The new owners quickly announced that the coal behemoth would close no later than June 2017.
Commercial Development Company acquired Brayton Point in January 2018 and has created a plan to convert the site into a hub for the burgeoning offshore wind industry and other local clean energy companies.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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