In an effort to hold off power supply shortages until largerelectricity generating plants come online, the New York PowerAuthority (NYPA) reported that it has selected sites within NewYork City for nine of 11 natural gas-burning generators itpurchased from General Electric Packaged Power.

The 44 MW generators are expected to help meet power supplyshortages between June 1, 2001and the completion of larger plantswhich are expected to be operational within the next two-to-threeyears. In an Oct. letter to the NYPA, the Department of PublicServices cited “an urgent and compelling need” for at least 315 MWof additional generating capacity to be in the city by next summer,and said that it is “prudent and highly desirable” that even morecapacity be installed to assure system reliability in the city.

“We’re confident that installation of the units at these sites,which were selected after a thorough, fair and objective process,will provide significant benefit to the people of New York Citywithout adverse effects on the environment or the localcommunities,” said C.D. “Rapp” Rappleyea, the Power Authority’sCEO.

The Department of Environmental Conservation said it will holdhearings on Dec. 14 to discuss the selected sites in the Bronx,Queens and Brooklyn. A tenth generator has been proposed for StatenIsland placement, but feasibility issues are still being discussed.Generator number 11 has been earmarked for installation at thePilgrim State Hospital site in Brentwood, town of Islip, at theLong Island Power Authority’s request.

To assure that the impact of the generators is minimal, the NYPAis spending approximately $55 million on special environmentalenhancements. The generators are guaranteed to meet emissionslevels of 2.5 parts per million of nitrogen oxides, when thecleanest existing plants in the city emit over 3 times that amount,about 9 parts per million.

A spokesman for the NYPA said that the cost of the entireproject, including the 11 generators, installation, andenvironmental enhancements will total approximately $450 million.

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