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South Jersey Industries Awarded $1.3 million Contract To Install Fuel Cell at Stockton
FOLSOM, N.J. -- Charles Biscieglia, chairman, president and CEO of South Jersey Industries, [NYSE: SJI] the energy holding company for South Jersey Gas and South Jersey Energy, announced today that the company was awarded a $1.3 million contract to install a 200- kilowatt fuel cell at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Pomona. The fuel cell will produce over 1,700,000 kilowatt- hours of energy annually and provide a substantial amount of Stockton’s domestic hot water needs. As part of SJI’s comprehensive energy solutions approach, SJE will install the fuel cell and provide the natural gas that SJG will transport. Choosing fuel cell technology provides many benefits to Stockton. In addition to saving approximately $80,000 annually in energy costs, SJG will give the college a $710,000 rebate under the state of New Jersey’s Smart Start Buildings program. “This project and others such as our Borgata Resort project are clear examples of SJI’s corporate philosophy of teamwork,” said Biscieglia. “The success of this project requires the involvement and expertise of two of our wholly-owned subsidiaries.” The fuel cell at Stockton will be operational in January 2003.
A fuel cell is an electrochemical
device that combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electricity,
heat and water. Fuel cells operate without combustion, so they are virtually
pollution free. Since the fuel is converted directly to electricity, a fuel
cell can operate at much higher efficiencies than internal combustion engines,
extracting more electricity from the same amount of fuel. The fuel cell itself
has no moving parts-making it a quiet and reliable source of power.
SmartStart Buildings is a statewide energy-efficiency program approved by the
Board of Public Utilities. A collaborative effort of natural gas and electric
utilities, SmartStart offers many options to help commercial customers maximize
energy efficiency, save money, reduce overhead and enhance the comfort and indoor
air quality of commercial and industrial facilities. These program options can
help reduce air pollution and benefit the environment throughout New Jersey.
South Jersey Industries (NYSE:
SJI) is an energy services holding company for South Jersey Gas, South Jersey
Energy, South Jersey Resources Group, LLC and Marina Energy LLC. For more information
about SJI and its subsidiaries visit http://www.sjindustries.com
on the web.
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