PSNH Scrubber' Work Scheduled to Begin November 3rd

Preliminary site work is scheduled to begin November 3rd for the construction of a mercury and sulfur emissions
reduction system at Public Service of New Hampshire's (PSNH) Merrimack Station coal-fired power plant in Bow. The work will prepare the area for the installation of scrubber technology that will reduce emissions of mercury by at least 80 percent and sulfur by more than 90 percent.

About 300 unionized craft workers will be on site during a three to four year peak construction period, which is scheduled to begin next spring. The major elements include the scrubber facility itself, which will capture mercury and sulfur dioxide gases, a new chimney which will replace the use of two existing stacks, and a new state-of-the-art waste water treatment facility. Major equipment contractors have been selected and engineering work is proceeding.

The start of the Clean Air Project could not come at a better time for our represented craft workers, said Ed Foley, President, New Hampshire State Building and Construction Trades Council. Given the economic uncertainties of the regional economy, this major construction project will ensure jobs that pay area-standard wages and benefits for the next several years. The men and women of the New Hampshire building and construction trades council look forward to working alongside our friends at PSNH.

This site work includes the demolition of some existing structures at the power plant, construction of a parking area for the hundreds of workers who will be on site, the building of a materials receiving and lay down storage area, and some site entrance road modifications necessary to facilitate construction traffic.

The work this fall will pave the way for the major construction work that begins early next year, noted Michael Hitchko, PSNH project manager. The sooner we get started the sooner the scrubber will begin its work to reduce emissions.

Merrimack Station produces about 430 megawatts (MW) of economic electricity, enough to power about 190,000 average New Hampshire homes, or 38 percent of PSNH's customer base. It is a primary component of PSNH's diverse generation portfolio, which includes the company's operation of biomass, hydroelectric, oil/gas, and coal power. In addition, PSNH purchases power from independent New Hampshire producers of wind, hydro, solar and methane-based power. The recovery of the cost of the $457 million project will add an average of 0.31 cents/kWh (three tenths of one
cent) to the company's Energy Charge, which is currently the lowest of any utility in New England.

The installation of the scrubber technology at Merrimack Station is required to comply with a state law passed in 2006 that focuses on reducing mercury emissions. The Scrubber Law is a key component of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation four-pollutant Clean Power Act, which was passed in 2002 and governs emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury and carbon dioxide.