STRATFORD, Conn., Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. last week commissioned a combined heat and power cogeneration facility in Connecticut.
The facility will produce enough power to supply 84 percent of the company's 2 million-square-foot Stratford, Conn., facility's needs.
The new system will provide 85 percent of the facility's steam heating needs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 8,900 metric tons annually -- the equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions produced by 1,600 passenger vehicles a year.
Sikorsky dedicated and powered up the facility Friday, culminating a design and construction project that began 3 1/2 years ago with a $26 million capital investment by the company and a $4.66 million State Cogeneration Incentive grant.
"Today Sikorsky takes another big step in our commitment to operate as an environmentally friendly and sustainable business," Sikorsky President Jeffrey P. Pino said at a commissioning ceremony. "This is a journey we've been on for many years now.
"In 2000, we were the first in the aerospace industry to introduce environmentally friendly aircraft paint that contains zero-to-low Volatile Organic Compounds. In the factory we have introduced numerous safety and process improvements that better protect both our workers and our environment and we continually look to make further improvements."
