There is no LEED rating system for power plants, but that has not stopped the Power Authority from pursuing green building attributes at several of its facilities around the state. Even before its White Plains office building earned a Gold certification in the LEED program in 2006, NYPA staff members were already eyeing administrative offices and other non-industrial sites at its power projects for their sustainability improvement potential.

One of the first locations targeted for enhancement was the administration building that serves both the Charles Poletti Power Project and the 500-megawatt Combined-Cycle Plant, in Queens. By year's-end, the first in a series of environmental audits had been made, with plans in place to upgrade the site's lighting. The building's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and water usage, also were scheduled for review as well.

Also receiving early attention was the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project's Hawkins Point Visitors Center in Massena. Opened in 2005, the riverside attraction was designed as an educational resource and community center. In 2006, NYPA staff conducted an initial assessment of the building's energy and environmental features; a complete audit was to be performed in 2007.

Other Power Authority facilities slated for action include the Clark Energy Center's administration building in Marcy, near Utica in Central New York, and properties affiliated with the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project in Schoharie County. Work is being considered for the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston. With four levels of LEED designation available, NYPA expects these efforts to result in additional recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council.

To better promote green building measures, the Power Authority has recruited several of its employees for LEED Professional Accreditation, a formal process that will establish them as recognized experts in the field of green building development. Once they earn their credentials, anticipated in 2007, these employees will be able to steward the LEED design and certification process for Power Authority sites as well as the facilities of interested NYPA customers.

 

How NYPA benefits
Central New York

• Protects about 40,000 jobs with low-cost power.
• Provides low-cost hydropower to a dozen municipal electric utilities and rural electric
  cooperatives.
• Energy-efficiency projects at more than 100 public facilities.
• Supports special events that benefit local residents and attract tourists.

Above: The 150-year-old Old Covered Bridge in North Blenheim, Schoharie County, on a pristine fall day, is a sharp reminder of the need to preserve historic relics as well as the environment for future generations. NYPA’s facilities in Central New York are pursuing environmentally “sustainable” activities. Inset: A gantry crane assists at the $135 million modernization of NYPA’s Blenheim-Gilboa power project in Schoharie County.