Officials wasted no time breaking ground last month on what will become a new boiler house at Eastman Business Park.
In a ceremony Wednesday afternoon, Ironclad Energy, Stonepeak Infrastructure, and Kodak announced that four existing coal-fired boilers will be replaced with natural gas boilers, and a remaining coal boiler will be converted.
A $90 million investment will allow Recycled Energy Development (RED) Rochester officials to completely modernize the existing boiler house, and the environmental impacts include an overall improvement of fuel efficiency and a reduction in greenhouse gasses, like carbon dioxide, by 50 percent.
John Prunkl, CEO of Ironclad Energy, said customers will feel the effects of the upgrade in their wallets.
"It makes steam and electricity more efficiently and it actually is going to save money for our customers," said Prunkl.
The boiler conversion is being implemented to comply with the US Environmental Protection Agency's ruling to reduce hazardous air pollutants.
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter said the project is the single largest capital investment in physical infrastructure at Eastman Business Park over the last three decades.
"It will not only preserve existing jobs but create roughly 70 jobs in construction over the next 18 months," Slaughter said.
The new facility is expected to be fully operational by January 2018.
