ALBANY, New York — The New York Power Authority determined that a legislative mandate to shut down its fleet of small gas power plants by 2030 requires more study.
NYPA quietly released the transition plan for the 11 fossil fuel plants in New York City and Long Island on Friday. The plan, required as part of the 2023 state budget deal, identifies a need for additional steps to ensure that shutting down any or all of the plants does not increase emissions or risk electric system reliability.
Why it matters: The proposed retirement of NYPA’s peakers — called that because they typically run only on the hottest days when demand for power peaks — poses a risk to reliability in New York City, according to the state’s grid operator.
The plants were rushed through environmental reviews and sited in low-income, predominantly Black and brown communities when they were built amid a power crunch in 2001. Environmental justice groups support closing them to reduce pollution in neighboring communities.
