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Gas-Fired Power Plant Approved For Salem

BOSTON (AP) — The Patrick administration has approved construction a new 692-megawatt gas-fired power plant to be located the site of the existing Salem Harbor Station.

Energy Secretary Rick Sullivan said the new facility will be one of the most efficient and lowest-emitting gas-fired power plants in New England.

The new plant, owned by Footprint Power, is expected to be operational by June 2016.

The project will include the demolition of the existing power plant, which will be retired by June 2014, and the cleanup of the site for the new plant and other uses.

Sullivan said the plant would be the first large gas-fired plant built in Massachusetts in more than a decade.

He said it will include technologies to reduce environmental impacts, including an efficient gas turbine, advanced emission controls, and air cooling rather than water cooling.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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