NEWS
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Second Phase of Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project Modernization Program to Begin in September All Public Recreational Activities At Upper Reservoir To Close September 10 Contact: September 5, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NORTH BLENHEIM – The New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) four-year, $135 million program to modernize and extend the life of the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project is expected to begin its second phase in mid-September. The first phase of the program began in September, 2006 and was successfully completed in May. “We were pleased with the results of the first phase of the Life Extension and Modernization (LEM) program,” said Allen Schriver, NYPA regional manager, Central New York. “The LEM program will allow B-G to produce more power from the same amount of water while extending the facility’s record of reliable service for decades ahead.” The Life Extension and Modernization includes the replacement of many of the major mechanical and electrical components of the project’s four pump-generating units, and maintenance and repairs to virtually all other parts. The schedule calls for the Power Authority to commence work on the second pump-generator in mid-September, with that unit slated to return to service the following June. The work on the other two pump generating units will be undertaken in the same manner over successive years, with the LEM program scheduled for completion in June 2010. In preparation for the LEM, the Power Authority will close the upper reservoir, located on Kingsley Road in the Town of Gilboa, to all public recreational activities, including boating and shoreline fishing on Monday, September 10 to allow construction crews to mobilize. The lower reservoir will remain open to boating and shoreline fishing until September 30. Access is through Minekill State Park, which is open from 7:30 a.m. until dusk. Boaters obtaining special permits from the Power Authority and displaying them on their boats and trailers are allowed access to the lower reservoir. The lower reservoir may be closed to boating at any time due to reasons associated with the LEM program or under other circumstances at the discretion of the Power Authority security officials.
About NYPA: ■ NYPA uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. ■ NYPA is a leader in promoting energy-efficiency, new energy technologies and electric transportation initiatives. ■ It is the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility, with 18 generating facilities in various parts of the state and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. |
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