NEWS
Utica Company Awarded NYPA Contract For Independent Dam Inspection Services
Contact:
Connie M. Cullen
914-390-8196
connie.cullen@nypa.gov
May 26, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ELMIRA—New York Power Authority (NYPA) President and Chief Executive Officer Richard M. Kessel today announced the award of a contract to Utica-based Gomez and Sullivan Engineers, P. C. (GSE) for inspection and consulting services for the dam at NYPA’s Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Project in North Blenheim.
The $230,000 five-year contract award was approved on Wednesday by the NYPA Board of Trustees.
“Gomez and Sullivan’s proposal indicates a complete understanding of the inspection requirements mandated by federal regulations as part of NYPA’s efforts to ensure the reliability and safety of the dam at our Blenheim-Gilboa project,” said Michael Townsend, chairman, Board of Trustees, NYPA. “Based on its low-bid, the company’s qualifications and proven ability to perform such work, the Trustees approved awarding the contract to Gomez and Sullivan.”
“This contract demonstrates how NYPA can use its resources to support New York State businesses while also maintaining the integrity of its critical infrastructure,” Kessel said. “Gomez and Sullivan have demonstrated the expertise and experience necessary to perform this critical dam inspection service for the Power Authority.”
“We are pleased to award this essential contract to a New York firm, Gomez and Sullivan Engineers of Utica, who submitted a competitive and fully responsive proposal for the FERC-required dam safety inspection work at the Power Authority’s Blenheim-Gilboa project,” said Richard M. Kessel, president and chief executive officer, NYPA. “Gomez and Sullivan have shown NYPA they have the expertise and experience to conduct this inspection and we have the utmost confidence in their work.”
FERC regulations require NYPA to hire an independent consultant to perform a dam safety inspection and review every five years at the FERC-licensed Blenheim-Gilboa project. FERC notified NYPA in December 2009 that the independent report for the Blenheim-Gilboa project would be due Dec. 1, 2010.
GSE submitted the lowest-priced bid of five proposals in the competitive procurement process. As a result, GSE was recommended to the NYPA Trustees for the contract award.
In September 2006, NYPA began a Life Extension Modernization (LEM) program for the Blenheim-Gilboa project. The LEM program marks the first time the pumped-storage project has been upgraded with new turbines since it went into service in 1973. The $135 million upgrade will allow the Blenheim-Gilboa project to produce more power from the same amount of water while extending the facility’s record of reliable service for decades ahead. The first of the four pump-turbine generating units was taken out of service that September for refurbishing. Since then, the process has been repeated three times, in the fall of 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Each of the refurbished generating units is expected to have a maximum capacity of approximately 290 megawatts (MW), compared to the replaced units that were rated at 260 MW. The refurbishment increases the flow rate of the water through the machines allowing them to achieve these power levels. At the conclusion of the LEM program in 2010, it is projected that the Blenheim-Gilboa project will be capable of producing a total of approximately 1,160 MW.
The Blenheim-Gilboa project operates during peak demand periods for electricity, usually during late afternoon or early evening, as hundreds of thousands of gallons of water are released from the upper reservoir above the dam. The water plunges 1,200 feet through man-made conduits within Brown Mountain to the project’s four turbine-generators, housed in the dam, to produce electricity before flowing into a lower reservoir on the Schoharie Creek. At night and on weekends, when demand is lower, the water is pumped back to the upper reservoir, using surplus electricity from the most economical sources.
About NYPA:
■ The New York Power Authority 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 public power organization, with 17 generating facilities in various parts of New York State and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. ■ Approximately 80 percent of the electricity it produces is clean renewable hydropower. Its lower-cost power production and electricity purchases support hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the ■For more information, www.nypa.gov.