Cuomo’s Energy Task Force Calls for $5.7B and 3.2 GW New Capacity in N.Y.

A task force appointed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday released a plan that calls for 3,200 MW of new power generation and transmission capacity funded with up to $5.7 billion in private investments.

The Energy Highway Task Force’s Blueprint  calls for investments of up to $1 billion for 1,000 MW of new transmission capacity, and it outlines initiatives that would leverage up to $250 million for 270 MW of new renewable energy projects. It also calls for modernization of existing high-emission power plants for an additional 750 MW of power capacity, which would require another $1.5 billion in investment.

Cuomo introduced the Energy Highway initiative in his 2012 State of the State address. The initiative seeks to ensure that New York’s energy grid “is the most advanced in the nation and promotes increased business investment in the state,” the governor’s office said on Monday. The new Blueprint was necessary to help meet reliability needs to address retiring power plants across the state, the office said.

The task force reportedly reviewed 130 responses provided by 85 entities, including investor-owned utilities, private developers, and investors in response to its Request for Information, issued in April. Gil C. Quiniones, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority, and Joseph Martens, commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, are co-chairmen of the task force. Other members include Kenneth Adams, president, CEO, and commissioner of Empire State Development; Garry A. Brown, chairman of the New York State Public Service Commission; and Francis J. Murray, Jr., president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

The initiative calls for $1.3 billion of investment in existing transmission and distribution projects to enhance reliability, improve safety, reduce cost to customers, and reduce emissions, as well as $250 million worth of investments to develop smart grid technologies and create the “most advanced energy management control center in the country.” Finally, it seeks to initiate field studies of Atlantic Ocean offshore wind development potential.

“An economy built to last requires a power infrastructure that gives businesses the confidence and security they need to hire new workers and plan for years to come, and this Blueprint continues to position New York State as a national leader in clean energy production and investment,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement.

Sources: POWERnews, Gov. Andrew Cuomo

—Sonal Patel, Senior Writer (@POWERmagazine)