Verizon has awarded a program management contract to Syska Hennessy Group to design and build a fuel cell facility as the primary electrical power source at their 332,000-sf Garden City call-routing center. Pending permit approvals, Verizon plans to start installation of seven fuel cells manufactured by UTC Fuel Cells, a unit of United Technologies Corp. The system is expected to be fully operational in 2004 and will operate in parallel with four new natural-gas powered engine generators, totaling more than 4 megawatts of generating capacity. This is the first time that a hybrid fuel cell/power generating system is being used and this facility will be the largest fuel cell development in the world. Syska completed all the preliminary engineering and studies for the project under a subcontract with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Verizon expects that it will be able to recover the initial project cost within five to six years and to generate significant cost savings in the process.
Verizon Designs Fuel Cell Facility For Call-Routing Center
Garden City, N.Y.
