NY Power Authority pledges to review path to sustainability for peaker plants
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The New York Power Authority committed to reviewing how to transform peaker plants for sustainable energy production. Photo via Ben Schumin/Flickr
BY Rachel Vick
The New York Power Authority has reached an agreement with environmental advocates to assess how to transform six natural gas-burning peaker plants, like the NRG-operated facility in Astoria, for green energy production
With the help of five environmental groups organized as the PEAK Coalition, NYPA will work with environmental justice organizers and support the implementation of fuel alternatives like low-to zero carbon emission technology and battery storage.
"There is no better time to address pollution and inequities of NYC's energy system,” said Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of PEAK coalition member UPROSE. “We saw how the historic exposure to high levels of air pollution from multiple sources, including power plants, contributed to higher numbers of COVID-19 deaths in environmental justice communities,”
New York City’s 16 peaker plants produce energy to bolster the power grid when electrical use spikes, like when New Yorkers blast the AC during a heat wave. Most of the NYPA peaker plants were installed in the early 2000s and generate power by burning carbon-emitting fossil fuels.
Other pollutants from the plants include nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and fine particulate matter, all of which are known to damage the respiratory system and contribute to lung disease. The plants are disproportionately located in low-income communities of color leading to health disparities from prolonged exposure.
Clean Energy Group President Lewis Milford, an adviser to the PEAK coalition, said the agreement could set a standard for engaging communities most impacted by the emissions.
It’s a model, Milford said, “where plant owners respect environmental justice concerns and pursue a collaborative approach to a clean energy transition in heavily polluted urban areas.”
Emission reductions are the heart of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, a state law designed to set New York on a path toward carbon-free electricity by 2040.
“NYPA is leading by example in transitioning our plants to utilize clean technologies to help expedite Governor Cuomo’s ambitious climate leadership targets,” said NYPA President and CEO Gil Quinones.
