Pepperidge Farm Strengthens Its Recipe for Sustainability, Adding Second Megawatt-Class Fuel Cell to Flagship Bakery
April 01 2015 - 9:14AM
- Installation commencing with a 1.4 megawatt combined heat and
power fuel cell power plant at a Pepperidge Farm bakery, a customer
of FuelCell Energy since 2005
- Extending service contract for existing fuel cell power plant
installation that began operating in 2008
- Two fuel cell power plants combined with a solar array provide
all of facility's power needs
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a global leader in the design,
manufacture, operation and service of ultra‐clean, efficient and
reliable fuel cell power plants, announced the execution of a
definitive term sheet with existing customer Pepperidge Farm,
Incorporated to install a 1.4 megawatt Direct FuelCell® (DFC®)
power plant at its bakery in Bloomfield, Connecticut. FuelCell
Energy will manufacture, install and service the power plant with
work on the project commencing immediately. Pepperidge Farm will
pay for power as it is produced under a power purchase agreement
(PPA). This new power plant will supplement the existing DFC power
plant that was installed at the bakery in 2008 and has been
generating savings for Pepperidge Farm and carbon reductions ever
since. The agreement also includes the multi-year extension of the
service contract for the existing DFC power plant. FuelCell Energy
is developing this project and expects to close on permanent
financing on or before the commercial operation date of the power
plant, with commissioning expected by the end of 2015.
"The addition of this low-emission fuel cell power plant to
complement our existing fuel cell installation further enhances our
sustainability profile, reflecting our strong commitment to the
environmental welfare of the communities in which Pepperidge Farm
and our parent, Campbell Soup, operate," said Harry Pettit, Manager
of Systems and Infrastructure Engineering, Pepperidge Farm,
Incorporated. "We look forward to broadening and deepening our
partnership with FuelCell Energy and continuing to benefit from the
efficient and reliable on-site power and heat its fuel cell power
plants provide."
"Pepperidge Farm is a great example of a customer that has
experienced significant savings in power costs and dramatically
reduced pollutant and carbon emissions, while improving energy
security and power reliability," said Chip Bottone, Chief Executive
Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. "Our ultra-clean and affordable
power plants add value for food and beverage processors such as
Pepperidge Farm and repeat orders like this validate our solutions
and customer service commitment."
DFC power plants are scalable, supporting the incremental
addition of plants to meet growing power needs, such as this
commercial bakery project. The new 1.4 megawatt fell power plant
will be installed adjacent to the existing fuel cell plant, and
together, will meet approximately the entire energy needs of the
facility with an on-site solar array supporting peak power
needs. The high-quality and ultra-clean heat produced by the
fuel cell power generation process is a key aspect of an innovative
two stage heat recovery that includes steam generation for use in
the baking process, followed by secondary heat recovery in which
excess heat is used to preheat supply air entering the thermal
oxidizer used for odor destruction, and the heat will be an
integral part of an ammonia based chilling system to be
installed.
The utilization of these two fuel cell power plants instead of
grid power will prevent the emission of more than 9,400 tons of
CO2, a greenhouse gas, which is equivalent to removing more than
1,800 cars from the road. Fuel cells generate power
electrochemically, a process that is virtually
pollution-free. These installations will annually avoid the
emission of 43 tons of smog-producing nitrogen oxide (NOx), 98 tons
of sulfur dioxide (SOx) that causes acid rain, 4,500 pounds of
particulate matter (PM10) that can aggravate asthma.
Due to the fuel cell power plant's high electrical and thermal
efficiency and virtual lack of pollutants, this project was awarded
a grant under the Connecticut Low and Zero Emissions Renewable
Energy Credit (LREC) program, which distributes renewable energy
credit payments for each megawatt hour of power produced. This
program is one of the many created by the state of Connecticut with
the objective to drive deployment of clean distributed generation
through low-emissions technologies such as fuel cells.
Fuel cells electrochemically convert a fuel source into
electricity and heat in a highly efficient process that emits
virtually no pollutants due to the absence of combustion. The
Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) stationary fuel cell power plants
manufactured by FuelCell Energy utilize carbonate fuel cell
technology and provide continuous baseload power located where the
power is used, including both on-site applications and electric
grid support. The combination of near-zero pollutants, modest
land-use needs, and quiet operating nature of these stationary fuel
cell power plants facilitates locating the power plants in urban
locations. The power plants are fuel flexible, capable of
operating on natural gas, on-site renewable biogas, or directed
biogas.
About Pepperidge Farm, Incorporated
Pepperidge Farm, based in Norwalk, Connecticut, is a leading
provider of premium quality fresh bakery products, cookies,
crackers, and frozen foods. Among the company's most popular
products are Goldfish® crackers, Milano® cookies, frozen Puff
Pastry, frozen garlic loaves and Texas toasts, and more than 50
varieties of fresh baked breads including Pepperidge Farm® Swirl,
Farmhouse and Whole Grain and Ecce Panis® artisan breads.
Pepperidge Farm was founded in Connecticut in 1937 by Margaret
Rudkin, an entrepreneurial homemaker who began baking fresh bread
for her ailing son. Today, the company has nine bakeries and more
than 4,000 employees. Pepperidge Farm has been part of Campbell
Soup Company since 1961 and is part of its Global Biscuits and
Snacks division.
About FuelCell Energy
Direct FuelCell® power plants are generating ultra-clean,
efficient and reliable power at more than 50 locations
worldwide. With more than 300 megawatts of power generation
capacity installed or in backlog, FuelCell Energy is a global
leader in providing ultra-clean baseload distributed generation to
utilities, industrial operations, universities, municipal water
treatment facilities, government installations and other customers
around the world. The Company's power plants have generated
more than 3 billion kilowatt hours of ultra-clean power using a
variety of fuels including renewable biogas from wastewater
treatment and food processing, as well as clean natural
gas. For more information, please visit
www.fuelcellenergy.com
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Direct FuelCell, DFC, DFC/T, DFC-H2 and FuelCell Energy, Inc.
are all registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc. DFC-ERG
is a registered trademark jointly owned by Enbridge, Inc. and
FuelCell Energy, Inc.
CONTACT: FuelCell Energy, Inc.
Kurt Goddard, Vice President Investor Relations
203-830-7494
ir@fce.com
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