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| Week of April 11, 2004 |
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WESTERN NEW YORK: Low-Cost Power Boosts Businesses— Allocations of
low-cost Niagara Power Project power will help solidify the future of three
major Western New York employers—Norampac Industries in Niagara Falls,
Motorola, Inc., in Elma, and Niagara Ceramics Corporation in Buffalo. Power
Authority trustees on March 30 approved contract extensions for 1,600
kilowatts (kw) to Norampac and 3,600 kw to Motorola. Norampac recycles
corrugated materials for consumer products industries and has operated
locally for 16 years. Motorola's Elma facility manufactures automotive
sensors and electronic controls and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in
Western New York in 2005. Also on March 30, NYPA trustees approved the
transfer of 850 kw and the allocation of an additional 250 kw to Niagara
Ceramics, which is taking over the operation of Buffalo China. Niagara
Ceramics has committed to maintain 190 jobs at the former Buffalo China
facility, which had been scheduled to close. More than 43,000 jobs in the
region are linked to NYPA hydropower allocations, and other sources of
economical electricity supplied by the Power Authority support an additional
17,000 jobs. WHITE PLAINS: Energy Services Projects Improve Air Quality— Reductions in annual greenhouse-gas emissions as a result of Power Authority energy-efficiency improvements at public facilities had grown to more than 620,000 tons by the end of 2003. Projects completed by NYPA at more than 2,500 facilities across New York State also help reduce the demand for electricity by more than 800 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) a year while saving taxpayers almost $86 million in annual energy costs. The projects range from retrofits of lighting systems with high-efficiency equipment to installations of energy-efficient chillers and heating systems. NYPA computes the emissions-offset figure using a conversion formula provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, which determines how many pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted from a typical fossil-fueled power plant (a figure that varies from state to state, based on local air-quality regulations) for each kwh of electricity produced. The Power Authority completed 120 energy services projects in 2003, financing the work and then recouping its costs through the electricity bill savings. Once the full cost of the projects is paid off, usually within 10 years, all of the savings go directly to customers. MASSENA: Firm to Manage St. Lawrence-FDR Improvements— The Power Authority has selected Bernier Carr and Associates PC of Watertown to perform construction management services for recreation and environmental improvements required by NYPA's new federal license for the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project here. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued the new 50-year license for the project on Oct. 23, 2003, and Power Authority trustees accepted it a month later. In December, the Power Authority's trustees authorized spending $169 million to comply with the new license's provisions, which call for NYPA to build new recreational facilities, rehabilitate existing facilities and carry out habitat improvement projects. This will include a substantial rehabilitation of the Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area. The Power Authority has proposed that the work begin this year and conclude by 2009. The contract with Bernier Carr will run through 2007, with options for extensions through 2009. SUFFOLK COUNTY: NYPA Helps College Reduce Energy Costs— NYPA energy-efficiency improvements scheduled to get under way in April at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) campuses in Selden, Riverhead and Brentwood will save the college more than $317,000 annually when work is completed late next year. Major projects at all three campuses involve upgrading heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and installing automated energy management systems. Among other tasks, the Power Authority will install occupancy sensors in classrooms, libraries and gymnasiums to turn off lights when the facilities are not in use. NYPA will fund the $4 million initiative and recover its costs from the college's annual energy savings. SCCC is the second-largest multicampus college in the State University of New York system, enrolling 20,000 students. UTICA: NYPA Helps North Utica Seniors Join Computer Age— A donation of refurbished surplus Power Authority computers to the North Utica Senior Citizens Community Center will help seniors keep in better touch with far-away family members. The donation has prompted the center to offer small class instruction on computer basics as well as more advanced skills such as the e-mail and Internet-search functions. NYPA gave the center 13 computers, of which eight are designated for the seniors. The remaining five are for preschool, after-school and teenage programs also offered by the center. The gift is an extension of a Power Authority program that has distributed more than 200 late-model desktop computers with new operating systems to public schools across New York State. NYPA replaces 400 to 500 of its 1,700 computers each year. WHITE PLAINS: Annual Report Focuses on Blackout, Jobs— The Power Authority's 2003 Annual Report, now available, spotlights NYPA's key role in New York State's recovery from the August blackout and its efforts to help revitalize the state's economy through low-cost electricity allocations. Other topics covered in the report include the issuance to the Power Authority of a new 50-year federal license for its St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, the ongoing construction of NYPA's major new power plant in New York City and the completion of the world's most advanced transmission control device at the Authority's Marcy Substation. The Power Authority continued to be among New York's leading electricity suppliers in 2003, with clean, low-cost hydroelectric power accounting for 80 percent of its generation. To obtain a copy of the report, send an e-mail to lorna.kirby@nypa.gov In the Community: The Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project's visitors center staged an Easter Adventure, at which children had their photos taken with the Easter Bunny, North Blenheim, April 4….The Niagara Power Project's visitors center presented a display at Boom Days, celebrating the start of the removal of the Lake Erie-Niagara River ice boom, Buffalo, April 2….Power Authority staff members spoke to students at the University at Buffalo's Great Lakes ecology class on the construction of the Niagara project, March 31….Brian Warner, senior policy specialist, spoke to the Mount Kisco Rotary Club on the Power Authority's new energy technologies, and Terryl Moreland, marketing consultant, discussed careers in the utility industry at the Stephen A. Halsey Junior High School, Rego Park, Queens, both on March 24....A NYPA energy services exhibit was on view at an energy fair sponsored by state Assemblywoman Sandra Galef, Cold Spring, March 20....Joe Leary, senior intergovernmental affairs representative, was one of the judges at the Staten Island Science Expo, which the Power Authority co-sponsored, March 20....Paul Belnick, manager, statewide energy services programs, gave a briefing to the new Long Island Clean Energy Leadership Task Force on NYPA’s efforts to help public facilities save energy and money through efficiency improvements, Brookhaven, March 5. The task force was established to provide municipalities with information on clean energy technologies and financial incentives available for adopting them. |