Holyoke, MA – The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) has named Tighe & Bond as a finalist of their 2020 Engineering Excellence Award for their transformation of the Mt. Tom coal-fired power plant into the state of Massachusetts’ Largest Community Solar and Energy Storage Facility.
The 2020 Engineering Excellence Awards were recently announced and will be celebrated at the 2021 ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence and Awards Gala. The awards celebrate innovation, ingenuity, and excellence in engineering achievement.
According to the ACEC/MA, Tighe & Bond’s work with ENGIE North America (ENGIE) and the collaboration with other organizations has led to the completion of a very complex project that showcases what can happen when innovative engineering and a commitment to clean energy and environmental protection come together. The transformation of the coal-fired plant to a fully remediated and safe site has enabled ENGIE to move forward with its plan to use the property for future industrial/commercial/energy development.
In August of 2019, the city of Holyoke was recognized by educational non-profit Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) as having the third most annual energy storage watt-hours per customer in the nation. According to the ACEC/MA, Massachusetts has an evolving energy market, and with the completion of the Mt. Tom Project, ENGIE can now provide a model of success that can influence future solar and energy storage projects in the state and coal-fired power plant closures across the region.
Overall, the closure of the former coal-fired power plant included transforming a former industrial site by demolishing the existing facility, remediating many areas of the property, and addressing over 50 acres of on-site coal ash while reusing a portion of the site for renewable energy generation and storage.
