BURRILLVILLE – After years of controversial regulatory proceedings and lawsuits, the R.I. Energy Facility Siting Board this week started final hearings on a proposal to build a 1,000-megawatt gas-fired power plant in Burrillville.
The board is tasked with deciding whether to permit the proposal by Invenergy Thermal Development LLC, an Illinois energy company, which first introduced the plan in 2015.
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Opposition groups, including environmentalists, local residents and elected officials have fought it since inception.
The local and statewide debate has helped spark a fight over the region’s energy future.
For the two-member siting board, the issue is complex and multilayer, but ultimately boils down to an overarching question: Is the power plant needed and economically beneficial to ratepayers?
Opening statements made Thursday swirled around this question. Invenergy attorney Michael S. Blazer told regulators there was a clear need for the region to have a greater amount of cheaper electricity generated by natural gas, which would burn cleaner than other fossil fuels.
Rhode Island should embrace such a major, $1 billion infrastructure project, he added.
Opposition disagreed, however, arguing the project isn’t needed, would be costly for ratepayers and make it impossible for the state to meet its carbon emission-cutting goals set by law in 2014.
“The evidence in this matter will demonstrate that this board should not, indeed by law it cannot, license this plant,” said Michael R. McElroy, an attorney for the town of Burrillville.
The opening statements came after years of delays. Invenergy ran into various roadblocks along the way, including legal challenges.
The statements made Thursday, however, do not signal any imminent decision by the board. The final hearings will stretch months from July to October and – given the general pace of regulatory proceedings in this area of government – it’s possible no decision will be made until 2019.
Nonetheless, for those who have followed the issue closely, the opening statements come as a welcomed sign.
“We are relieved to see the final hearings start,” said Michael C. Wood, Burrillville town manager. “This is an issue of importance to the entire state.”
Eli Sherman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Sherman@PBN.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.
