NSMC builds new central utility plant

SALEM – North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) Salem Hospital’s new state-of-the-art central utility plant is now complete. Replacing the medical center’s nearly 100-year-old power plant facing Highland Avenue, the new plant was designed to generate cleaner, safer and more cost-efficient energy throughout the facility.”The new utility plant features computer-controlled steam boilers fired by natural gas, an advanced cogeneration system and duplicate electrical and communications feeds,” said Mary Jo Gagnon, senior vice president of operations at NSMC. “This will ultimately save money that can be redirected to patient care and reduce NSMC’s impact on the environment.”The new utility plant is expected to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED Silver building or better in recognition of its environmentally responsible design. The advanced cogeneration system located on the roof of the facility is designed to dramatically reduce energy usage, cost and emissions equivalent to 1,180 cars on the road. Computer-controlled, low-pressure boilers powerful enough to heat 500 New England households simultaneously have been installed with duplicate electrical and communications feeds that will significantly decrease the chance of the facility losing power.