NYPA Home Page

NYPA Notes newsletter masthead
Week of Jan. 30, 2005
About NYPA Notes

NYPA Notes provides periodic updates on the New York Power Authority's statewide activities to stimulate economic growth, promote energy conservation and develop new, environmentally friendly energy technologies.

It also reports on the Authority's efforts to facilitate solutions to New York's energy problems and on its potential benefits to the state as the electricity industry shifts from regulation to competition.

Please feel free to reprint any of the information in NYPA Notes. We hope you find the newsletter informative and useful and would welcome your comments and inquiries (nancy.ames@nypa.gov).


NYPA Calendar

Feb. 1: Jackie Copeland, a senior systems analyst in NYPA's White Plains office, will be recognized as the Power Authority's honoree at the fifth annual Governor's Tribute to African-American Leaders in State Service, part of the state's African-American History Month kickoff celebration, Albany.
NYPA Calendar - Continued

Feb. 6: The Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project's visitors center will present The King and I, the first in its series of Sunday matinee movies in February, North Blenheim, 2 p.m. Admission is free but reservations are required; please call 1-800-724-0309.
 
GILBOA: Major Overhaul Planned at Blenheim-Gilboa Project— The Power Authority will conduct a four-year, $135 million Life Extension and Modernization (LEM) program at its Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project, New York State's largest energy storage system. Work on the first of the project's four pump-turbines, scheduled to begin in September 2006, will require the facility to be removed from service for a few weeks. Renovation of the first unit is to be completed by May 2007, and the process will be repeated in the fall of 2007, 2008 and 2009 for the other units. The LEM will include replacement of many of the project's mechanical and electrical components, and maintenance and repairs to most other equipment. Replacement of spherical valves, which control the flow of water to the pump-turbines, will make it necessary to reduce the water level of Blenheim-Gilboa's upper reservoir for about a month during the overhaul of each unit. The 1,040,000-kilowatt project, about 40 miles southwest of Albany, began operation in 1973. It produces electricity at times of peak consumer demand and in emergencies by recycling water between a reservoir atop a mountain and another at its base.

NEW YORK: Power Authority Upgrades School Heating Systems— The Power Authority is working to improve heating systems in 68 New York City schools where it previously replaced old, polluting coal furnaces with clean, modern natural gas- or oil-fueled units. Even with new furnaces, some classrooms were too cold or too hot because of deficiencies in a school's steam distribution system. The New York City Department of Education contracted with the Power Authority for $35.5 million to repair thermostats, control valves, pneumatic controls, fans and other components that impaired the flow of heat through the system. Work at about 50 schools has been completed, with the rest to be finished by the end of this year. NYPA replaced the schools' coal furnaces through Gov. George Pataki's Clean Air for Schools program and a separate NYPA initiative.

WESTERN NEW YORK: Power Allocations Help Create 60 Jobs— Low-cost hydropower from NYPA's Niagara Power Project will help create 60 jobs at two Western New York companies in connection with their plans to expand or build new facilities. Power Authority trustees, meeting in NYPA's White Plains office on Jan. 25, approved power allocations totaling 2,200 kilowatts (kw) to American Pharmaceutical Partners (APP), Inc., which is expanding two production facilities on Grand Island, and Hammond Manufacturing Co., which is building a new electronics manufacturing plant in Cheektowaga. APP is undertaking capital investments of nearly $34 million, leading to 25 additional jobs at each of its two expansion sites. Hammond Manufacturing is investing more than $1 million in its new plant, where it will transfer 14 jobs from its Waterloo, Ontario, operations and create another 10 positions. The allocations will come from a 445,000-kw block known as replacement power, reserved for businesses within 30 miles of the Niagara project's switchyard. Together with a second, 250,000-kw block of Niagara electricity called expansion power, it is linked to more than 43,000 jobs on the Niagara Frontier.

ALBANY: Pataki Proposes Tax-Free ENERGY STAR Purchases— Consumers planning to purchase efficient new refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, ceiling fans and air conditioners bearing the ENERGY STAR® label could see their savings stretch beyond lower electric bills. As part of his proposed state budget for fiscal year 2005-2006, Gov. George Pataki has called for a two-week exemption from the state sales tax for ENERGY STAR products. The proposal is subject to legislative approval. Since 2001, the Power Authority has joined with the state's Energy Research and Development Authority and the Long Island Power Authority to encourage New Yorkers to turn in their old air conditioners and buy new energy-saving ENERGY STAR models. The campaign has led to the replacement of more than 200,000 older air conditioners and reduced peak electricity demand by more than 83,000 kilowatts statewide.

WHITE PLAINS: Electric Vehicle Enhances School’s Security—With the Power Authority's help, the White Plains school system in December purchased a two-passenger electric GEM (Global Electric Motorcar) for security patrols and related duties at White Plains High School. Under a NYPA-GEM agreement, the Power Authority paid 30 percent of the base cost of the car, plus all costs for maintenance-free batteries, vehicle doors and a three-year warranty. The GEM is street-legal, able to travel up to 25 miles on local roads with 35-miles-per-hour speed limits. The vehicle will provide quiet, emission-free operation, and its on- and off-road capability will enable the high school's security staff to cover more ground on the sprawling 75-acre campus. NYPA anticipates additional GEM co-funding opportunities statewide.

NORTH BLENHEIM: Sunday Matinee Series Returns to Center— Following the success of last year's winter movie series, the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project's visitors center is gearing up for another round of free family fun every Sunday in February. On blustery winter days when it's just too cold to go outside, pack up the gang and travel vicariously to warmer climates and faraway places watching such great family classics as The King and I (Feb. 6); South Pacific (Feb. 13); Singing in the Rain (Feb. 20) and Bye Bye Birdie (Feb. 27). Shows start at 2 p.m. in the visitors center's theater. Reservations are required; please call 1-800-724-0309.

In the Community: Sobeida Cruz, director of public and governmental affairs, lower Hudson Valley, gave two presentations in Croton-on-Hudson about the Power Authority's initiatives in Westchester County: to the Lions Club, Jan. 25, and the Westchester County Municipal Clerks and Financial Officers Association, Jan. 26….The West Harlem Art Fund, an arts and preservation group, showcased NYPA-donated computers at an open house, New York City, Jan. 22. The computers will be used to develop a cultural tourism initiative, including a new hybrid-electric shuttle-bus loop....Evelyn Evans, public and governmental affairs representative, spoke about careers in the utility industry to students at P.S. 721 in Staten Island, Jan. 21; and at I.S. 141 in Long Island City, Jan. 19….Michael Saltzman, senior information specialist, gave a presentation at the Osbourne Retirement Community on New York State's Energy Challenges, Rye, Jan. 20…Mel LeRoy, senior tour guide at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project visitors center, spoke to the Stamford Chamber of Commerce about the free community events offered at the center, Jan. 20….Steve Ramsey, senior community relations representative, spoke to the Norwich Rotary Club about the Power Authority's programs in Central New York, Jan. 18.