Senator Little And NYPA Announce Donation of Generators To Help Prevent Rolling Black-Outs in Tupper Lake

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Connie Cullen
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January 5, 2004           

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TUPPER LAKE—Senator Betty Little and Eugene W. Zeltmann, president and chief executive officer, New York Power Authority (NYPA), announced today the donation of two generators to the Village of Tupper Lake to help prevent rolling blackouts during the peak winter season.  The announcement was made adjacent to the McLaughlin Ave. electric substation in Tupper Lake where the generators were recently installed.

“While you can’t do much to avoid occasional whiteouts during a Tupper Lake winter, we can avoid rolling blackouts with the help of these new generators to bolster the village’s power supply,” said Zeltmann.  “Under Governor Pataki’s guidance and support, the Power Authority, Senator Little and Tupper Lake officials worked together to meet the vital electricity needs of this community’s residents and businesses.”

“I want to thank the New York Power Authority for helping Tupper Lake secure these two generators which provide peace of mind for all of us," said Senator Little (R, C, I-Queensbury).  "Loss of power is much more than an inconvenience on a cold night when temperatures plummet.  It's a threat to safety and puts lives at risk. The generators will eliminate the need for rolling blackouts and get us safely through the winter months as we continue to work on a long-term solution to address the demand issue."

“We truly appreciate the continuous efforts of Senator Little and the New York Power Authority to resolve transmission issues experienced by the Village and these generators help by playing an important role in offsetting rolling blackouts this winter,” said Sandra Strader, mayor, Village of Tupper Lake.  “The Village Electric Department and the company who worked with us, Aggreko, are to be commended for a job well-done by having the generators ready-to-go before the height of the heating season.”  

The two 1,250 kilowatt diesel-powered generators were built and installed by the international energy company Aggreko.  John Bouk, electric superintendent, Village of Tupper Lake, oversaw the installation of the generators and worked closely with Aggreko.  Aggreko provides power supply, temperature control and compressed air systems to customers in diverse industries around the world. Aggreko also designs, develops and assembles its own equipment.

Together, the generators will be able to supply up to 2,500 kilowatts of electricity—about 10 percent of Tupper Lake’s peak power demand—as the need arises.  They should help to avoid rolling blackouts or other interruptions to the village’s power supply this winter. 

No tax money was used to pay for the generators as Senator Little worked with the Governor to secure $85,000 in funding to pay their cost.   The funds are from a grant from New York’s share of the Petroleum Overcharge Restitution Fund—created as the result of a legal settlement by the federal government with a number of oil companies for excessive charges in the 1970s.  The Power Authority is the administrator of this grant to the village.

The Village of Tupper Lake operates its own municipal electric system and purchases its electricity from the New York Power Authority.  The village uses a single 46-kilovolt Niagara Mohawk transmission line to bring that electricity into the village.  Without enough capacity on that line to reliably meet the area’s growing needs, rolling blackouts became necessary.  The Power Authority is working with Senator Little, Mayor Strader, Superintendent Bouck and Niagara Mohawk to solve this problem.