An abandoned electricity generating facility in Binghamton's First Ward is getting a new lease on life as it's being transformed into a manufacturing plant.

Connecticut-based Firomar now expects to start producing high-efficiency exterior building panels at the Charles Street site early next year.

The company has been working for about five months to renovate the former cogeneration plant that once produced power for the sprawling Anitec Image Corporation manufacturing complex.

Workers inside the future Firomar production facility on Charles Street on September 25, 2024. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
Workers inside the future Firomar production facility on Charles Street on September 25, 2024. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
loading...

Project manager Paolo Maccabrunni recently told the city planning commission that initial production at the site could begin as soon as November. It now appears the timeline for launching operations has been pushed back by a few months.

Firomar New York intends to build an addition to the existing structure at 22 Charles Street, which is just north of Clinton Street. The company is expected to spend $4.6 million to develop the facility.

The former Anitec cogeneration plant as seen from West Street on September 25, 2024. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
The former Anitec cogeneration plant as seen from West Street on September 25, 2024. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
loading...

Equipment that had been located in Connecticut is being moved into the Binghamton facility.

Firomar plans to produce large energy-efficient panels that will be used for new and existing buildings.

The generating plant began providing power to Anitec in 1992. It was mothballed after the company closed its Binghamton operations.

A 199-foot-tall stack at the old Charles Street generating plant. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
A 199-foot-tall stack at the old Charles Street generating plant. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
loading...

Wellhead Electric Company of California acquired the facility with the hope of making a lot of money by operating it several days a year during times of peak electricity demand.

Wellhead's wound up losing money on the venture and abandoned the plant in 2018. It turned the property over to the city of Binghamton after removing the valuable generating equipment from the facility.

98.1 The Hawk logo
Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

25 Scaredy Cat-Approved Halloween Movies

LOOK: Which movies were filmed in Pennsylvania?

Stacker compiled a list of movies filmed in Pennsylvania using data from Movie Locations, with additional information about each film collected from IMDb.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

TOP 10: The best holiday TV specials of all time, ranked

 

More From 98.1 The Hawk