NEW YORK CITY: Fuel Cells to Supply Rebuilt Trade Center— The redeveloped World Trade Center will contain one of the largest fuel cell installations in the world under a $10.6 million agreement between the Power Authority and UTC Power, a Connecticut manufacturer. The fuel cells, totaling 4.8 megawatts of generating capacity, will provide heat and power as an on-site supplement to the renewable power and other clean energy supplied to the rebuilt World Trade Center from off-site sources. Along with design measures to minimize energy use, the “green” power arrangements will make the Freedom Tower, and three other towers that will be part of the Trade Center, a model for environmentally friendly energy and energy efficiency. Fuel cells generate electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a chemical reaction. With few moving parts, they are a quiet, reliable and safe source of power. UTC Power was the successful bidder in a Request for Proposals issued by NYPA last October for four fuel cells. The first fuel cell is scheduled for delivery to the Freedom Tower in January 2009, with financial help from NYPA’s energy services program.

MASSENA: NYPA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Power Project—The Power Authority planned a series of events for June 24 to mark 50 years of low-cost electricity generation at its St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project here. The 800,000-kilowatt project, the Power Authority’s first generating facility, has produced hundreds of billions of kilowatt hours for Massena industries, upstate residents, farms and other consumers. The project “has been indispensable to the state’s electric power system and Northern New York’s economy for half a century,” said NYPA Chairman Frank McCullough, Jr. “Its operation is a testament to the vision and leadership of such luminaries as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Robert Moses and the dedication, hard work and sacrifice of the thousands of people who contributed to the construction of this marvelous facility.” Several events were scheduled for the day: a breakfast for the power project staff; a ceremony at the dam and rededication of the “Friendship Monument” to symbolize cooperation between the United States and Canada; a picnic lunch for NYPA trustees and local officials; and, in the evening, a community celebration with an ice cream social, live music and fireworks. The St. Lawrence-FDR project began generating power on July 17, 1958.

JAMESTOWN: Governor Supports Advanced Coal Plant in WNY—Gov. David Paterson is backing an advanced coal power plant in Jamestown that will demonstrate new technology that could capture carbon dioxide and sequester it underground for permanent storage. Paterson suggested that the concept could solve the twin threats of climate change and growing energy demand while at the same time boosting upstate New York’s economy with clean-technology jobs. The state will provide up to $6 million in financial support for the one-of-a-kind project. Research will be conducted by a consortium of academic institutions, regional industrial firms and research laboratories. The Power Authority will be part of a Carbon Capture and Sequestration Working Group. NYPA is also joining the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities to develop an aggressive energy-efficiency plan that will reduce energy costs for Jamestown ratepayers and businesses.

UTICA: State Moves to Protect Hinckley Reservoir Water Levels— An extended period of low water levels in Hinckley Reservoir has prompted Gov. David Paterson to order several actions to ensure adequate water for residents of Utica and Oneida and Herkimer counties. Last September, Oneida County declared a water conservation emergency. NYPA will collect and distribute reservoir water level data weekly to provide early warning of drought conditions. When reservoir levels drop below normal, the state Canal Corporation will be asked whether it can tap other sources of water for the state canal system. Supplying the canal system was the original purpose for the reservoir. NYPA and other state and county agencies will examine water usage and meteorological data to better understand low water conditions. “The water in Hinckley Reservoir services important local needs—drinking water, fisheries, power generation and canal operations,” Paterson said. “I am calling on all agencies to work collaboratively to ensure all of these interests are protected.”

MASSENA: Maintenance Building Named for Union Leader— The maintenance center at the Power Authority’s Massena Substation is now known as The Roger B. Clough Transmission Maintenance Facility in honor of a longtime NYPA transmission lineman and leader of Local 2032 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Clough, a Massena resident, retired last November after a career of nearly 43 years at NYPA, the last 25 as business manager of Local 2032, which represents union employees at NYPA’s St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project in Massena, Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project in Schoharie County and Clark Energy Center in Marcy, near Utica. The Authority’s trustees, in approving the new name, said Clough “occupies a unique place” in the Power Authority’s history and expressed appreciation “for his many years of exemplary service.” It is the first time that a NYPA facility had been named for a union employee.