A company backed by O&G Industries is seeking state approval for a 45-MW trash-to-energy plant that faces local opposition.
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A company backed by one of Connecticut’s largest construction firms is asking state regulators to clear the way for a 45-megawatt trash-to-energy plant in Plainfield, a project that has faced more than a year of local opposition.
SMART Technology Systems LLC filed a petition Friday with the Connecticut Siting Council seeking a declaratory ruling that the project does not require a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need.
Unlike the certificate process, a declaratory ruling generally involves a narrower review of whether a proposed facility complies with applicable state laws and regulations.
SMART’s owners include Torrington-based O&G Industries and Advanced Waste Technologies International, a Connecticut renewable energy developer.
The proposed facility would occupy about 81 acres of O&G’s 506-acre sand and gravel operation between Norwich Road and Black Hill Road.
Connecticut has struggled to dispose of municipal waste since the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority closed its Hartford waste-to-energy plant in 2022. Much of the state’s trash is now hauled to out-of-state landfills while the four remaining waste-to-energy plants in Connecticut operate near capacity, according to state planning documents.
SMART says the plant would accept an average of 1,800 tons of municipal solid waste a day, roughly replacing the capacity lost when MIRA closed. According to the petition, the facility would recover recyclable materials, convert organic waste into renewable natural gas and process the remaining material through a gasification system that would generate electricity for the ISO New England grid.
SMART said the project would convert municipal waste into synthetic gas “without the need for incineration,” while also producing renewable energy.
The project has faced strong local opposition.
In 2024, O&G sought to rezone the property as an environmental-industrial park that would have included the waste facility, but Plainfield’s Planning and Zoning Commission denied the request. SMART says the current proposal is smaller as a result.
The town has also intervened in the project’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection permit applications, including an air permit filed in March 2025 and three solid waste permits filed in April 2026. DEEP granted the town’s intervention in each case, and both reviews remain pending.
A public information meeting at Town Hall in May 2025 drew several hundred attendees and lasted about four hours. Roughly 50 residents spoke, with many voicing opposition to the project, according to SMART’s petition.
Connecticut law allows the Siting Council to review certain electric generating facilities under 65 megawatts through the declaratory ruling process if they meet applicable environmental standards. SMART argues its project qualifies.
The company says the privately owned facility could reduce Plainfield’s mill rate by 20% to 25%, create about 700 peak construction jobs and preserve roughly 115 acres as conservation land.
If approved, construction would begin in July 2027 and run about three years, with commercial operation expected in early 2031.
The Siting Council must first decide whether the project can proceed through the declaratory ruling process or instead must seek a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need.
