Press Release

Loan Approved For FuelCell Energy Expansion

The Connecticut Development Authority approved a $4 million loan today for FuelCell Energy Inc. to expand its plant in Torrington and add 100 jobs.

The Danbury-based manufacturer, which now has 467 employees, will use the loan as part of a $10 million project to enlarge its facility in anticipation of an expected surge in demand for fuel cells. The jobs would be added over the next three years, according to a statement from Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

'Connecticut is a pioneer in fuel cell technology and this project will help ensure we continue to be a leading innovator in this high-tech sector,' Rell said.

Fuel cells - many of which are manufactured in Connecticut - create electricity from a chemical reaction using oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is typically derived from natural gas. FuelCell Energy sells fuel cells to supply electricity to commercial and government buildings and a region's grid. The expansion of the Torrington plant would increase its annual output to enough fuel cells to produce 60 megawatts of electricity. A megawatt powers between 750 and 1,000 typical homes.