Birdsboro Power
“We are so pleased to revive this old heavy industrial site with a new age clean energy project. The $600 Million opportunity has brought much needed jobs, make the region’s power supply more stable and improve local infrastructure.”
Raj Suri – Chief Executive Officer, EmberClear
Birdsboro Power project is a 485 MW natural gas-fired combined-cycle facility (NGCC) located about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The power plant has employed the latest advanced gas turbine technology and will benefit from the best-in-class fuel efficiency. EmberClear partnered with Ares Management, $100 billion assets under management, to complete the development of the Birdsboro Power project.
The 100-acre, environmentally hazardous site was originally a tank factory and had been an eyesore for many decades. The owners have spent tens of millions in a massive cleaning up effort and have returned 65 acres to the community for future developments.
A six-mile water pipeline was constructed to connect Reading and Birdsboro Water Authority systems in order to augment the water supply for the plant.
DTE constructed a dedicated 14-mile lateral to access natural gas from Texas Eastern (TETCO), a major interstate natural gas transmission system. The plant also built a 4-mile electric transmission line connecting to an existing 230 kV line.
Birdsboro began construction in late 2016 and the financial closing on the project was achieved in Q1-2017. The plant commenced operations in Q2-2019. The Birdsboro plant has brought a $600 million capital investment in the Birdsboro township and created approximately 300 construction jobs over the two & half year construction period and 25 permanent jobs. The plant is currently equally owned by Ares, Sojitz Japan, and Tokyo Gas.
