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| Week of Nov. 7, 2004 |
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ROUSES POINT: Village Showcases NYPA Hybrid-Electric SUV— Village
officials in Rouses Point say they are proud to be among the first to
demonstrate the gas savings and environmental benefits of the American entry
into the hybrid-electric vehicle market, Ford Motor Co.'s Escape model. The
Power Authority on Oct. 26 delivered the hybrid-electric sport utility
vehicle to Rouses Point as part of NYPA's Municipal Electric-Drive Vehicle
Program. The Escape runs on a nickel-metal-hydride battery, which is
recharged with power directly from the engine and the vehicle's regenerative
braking system. Under the electric-drive program, conducted in cooperation
with the Municipal Electric Utilities Association (MEUA), loans are provided
from a $1.2 million NYPA fund to municipal electric utility systems and
rural cooperatives wishing to purchase all-electric or hybrid-electric
vehicles for their fleets. The Power Authority recovers its costs through
the systems' electricity bills. Four other municipalities—Boonville,
Fairport, Spencerport and Springville—as well as the MEUA also have received
vehicles under the program. YONKERS: Energy-Saving Windows to Reduce School's Costs—The Power Authority is helping St. Peter's School in Yonkers save energy and money with an energy-efficient window-replacement project. NYPA conducted an energy audit of the school, assisted in the design of the project, recommended a contractor to install the nearly 280 double-strength insulated glass windows and facilitated funding. A $100,000 Petroleum Overcharge Restitution Fund (POCR) grant, provided with assistance from state Sen. Nicholas Spano, will cover about half the cost of the project. Senator Spano also obtained an additional $60,000 state grant to continue child-care programs and assist with other renovations at the school. The window replacement work, now under way, is expected to be completed by year's end. POCR funds, administered in New York State by NYPA, were established to compensate consumers for past overcharges by major petroleum companies. MASSENA: St. Lawrence-FDR Modernization Moves Ahead— Renovations, including installation of a new control system, are proceeding on the fifth of 16 turbine-generator units scheduled for overhauls at NYPA's St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project under a $281 million life extension and modernization program. The unit is slated to return to service in February. The pace of the program, initiated in 1997 and set for completion in 2013, has accelerated as a result of added shift work, more timely deliveries and earlier testing of the rehabilitated units. The improvements will ensure continued reliable supplies of low-cost electricity from the project for the duration of its new 50-year federal license, granted in October 2003. St. Lawrence-FDR in 1958 became the Power Authority's first generating facility. The power dam it shares with an Ontario Power Generation project extends across the St. Lawrence River for 3,200 feet, more than 10 football fields. PALO ALTO: NYPA President Sees Bright Energy Future— NYPA President Eugene Zeltmann, who was elected in April to a one-year term as chairman of EPRI (the Electric Power Research Institute), addressed the institute's staff on Oct. 21. He said the collaborative approach established by EPRI in working with the Power Authority and others electricity enterprises can play a vital role in meeting the energy challenges of the future. "This organization is poised for even greater success," he told the EPRI employees. "To the extent that we are successful, we will create a brighter, cleaner and more productive future for our country and the entire world." EPRI, established in 1973, develops science and technology solutions for the international power industry. As the nation's largest state-owned electric utility, "the Power Authority feels a special obligation to demonstrate new technologies," Zeltmann said, noting that NYPA has worked closely with EPRI on efforts ranging from efficient transmission technologies to fuel cells to electric vehicles to cleaner-burning coal. MASSENA: Park Improvements Under Way at Hawkins Point—An improved boat launch and a new handicapped-accessible fishing pier at Hawkins Point are the latest recreational improvements NYPA has begun at North Country parks under the terms of its new license to operate the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project. Late last month, workers closed the existing boat ramp at the site to start construction of a boat launch made of concrete planks. Work has also begun on a new fishing pier that will meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, and parking improvements are under way as well. The enhancements will be located next to the new power-project visitors center NYPA expects to open at Hawkins Point next summer; the site was chosen because of the panoramic views it offers of the St. Lawrence-FDR project. Recreational improvements tied to NYPA's new license and settlement agreements with local municipalities are also continuing at riverfront parks elsewhere in Massena, Waddington and Lisbon. UTICA: Local Resident Selected as NYPA’s Woman Leader—Kateri Sparks, manager of system operations at the Power Authority's Clark Energy Center in Marcy, will be among those honored at the Salute to Women Leaders luncheon, sponsored by the Academy of Women Leaders of the YWCA of the City of New York, Tuesday, Nov. 9, in New York City. Sparks, a Utica resident, was selected as NYPA's 2004 Women Leader for her skill in overseeing the operation of NYPA's bulk power system, especially during the blackout of Aug. 14, 2003, when the Authority's St. Lawrence-FDR and Niagara hydroelectric projects were the only major power plants that continued to operate in New York State. She began her NYPA career as a power dispatcher in 1982. In less than 10 years, Sparks advanced to the highest control-room-operator level, and in 2002, she was promoted to manager of system operations, a move seldom made by women in the utility industry. In the Community: More than 800 people celebrated Halloween at NYPA visitors centers at the Niagara Power Project, Lewiston, and the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project, North Blenheim, Oct. 30….The Power Authority sponsored the I Love New York Curling Open, Utica Curling Club, Whitesboro, Oct. 28-31….Randy Crissman, regional manager for Western New York, presented a $3,000 check to Mount St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston as part of the Power Authority's annual contribution to the region's hospitals and emergency response units, Oct. 21. Other emergency units receiving checks included the Upper Mountain Fire Co., Lewiston; Lewiston Fire Companies #1 and #2; the Sanborn Fire Company; the Niagara Active Fire Company, Niagara Falls; Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center; and Mercy Flight, a non-profit provider of air-medical emergency services, Buffalo….NYPA displayed an electric-drive vehicle at the Toward a Sustainable Bronx showcase of energy and environmental technologies, co-sponsored by the Power Authority at Bronx Community College, Oct. 22….The Clark Energy Center's Dave Finn, senior information coordinator, and Len Panzica, senior engineer, gave a presentation on the August 2003 blackout at an engineering conference at the State University of New York Institute of Technology, Utica, Oct. 21….Some 1,500 people sampled culinary offerings at the Taste of the County taste-off at the Blenheim-Gilboa project's fifth annual Schoharie County Harvest Festival, North Blenheim, Oct. 16….Shalom Zelingher, director of research and technology development, gave a presentation on distributed generation technologies at a seminar on Energy Choices and Environmental Challenges, sponsored by the Westchester Chapter of the United Nations Association, Purchase, Oct. 13. |