A remarkable thing occurred this summer: our region”™s power grid actually held its own. Marked by record-breaking temperatures and near-record power usage, our region”™s lights and air conditioning stayed on with minimal disruptions, thanks in part to increased conservation by Westchester businesses and residents.
In a late September report, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the not-for-profit operator of the state”™s transmission grid found that New York can meet its electricity needs through 2020. Before we pop open the champagne, there are clear challenges which could jeopardize this positive outlook.
Arguably the biggest threat to the grid ”“ and it is indeed a nice threat to have ”“ is too much prosperity. In NYISO”™s words, “A stronger than expected economic recovery could pose reliability risks in 2019, absent the projected impact of energy efficiency programs.”
Other notable risks would come from closing Buchanan”™s Indian Point Energy Center, whose two base-load units generate 2,060 megawatts, enough electricity to power approximately 2 million New York homes. NYISO notes that the reliability of the grid could be imperiled by 2016 without Indian Point, both from supply availability and transmission standpoints.
Without Indian Point, NYISO warns, “It would be necessary to take emergency operations measures, including load relief, to eliminate the transmission security violations in Southeastern New York.”
Simply put, the road to keeping a solid electricity network in New York literally runs through Westchester County.
There are other developments that could imperil the integrity of our electrical grid. The State Department of Environmental Conservation”™s proposed policy on “best available technology” and support for mammoth cooling towers may lead many plants to close or reduce their capacity, including Indian Point.
Other overzealous environmental regulations may lead some plants to close as it could lead to prohibitive operating costs. Plants could also retire for a number of other business reasons, both expected and not expected.
And getting new plants isn”™t easy. It takes a minimum of five years from the time a plant is proposed to when it generates electricity on the grid. As New York has also been without a power plant siting law for nearly eight years, the process today takes much longer and new proposals have ground to a halt.
New Yorkers have never been satisfied with simply keeping what we have and avoiding the peril that blackouts and a non-reliable electricity system provide. Today, we should be looking to keep our clean sources of power and to add to them.
Could that also mean renewables such as wind and solar? The short answer is yes. Unfortunately, the high cost of land in Westchester and urban locations makes increased usage of these technologies highly limited.
New York must also make a new power plant siting law a top priority in the 2011 legislative session. Baseload power, consistently generated 24/7 electricity, helps to keep regions economically competitive and prosperous.
And while environmental concerns are crucially important, New York should move ahead with extracting natural gas from the large Marcellus Shale formation; further creating jobs and placing downward price pressure on natural gas costs in our state.
Rest assured, our economy will eventually recover ”“ and prosper. We cannot afford to imperil our future through an inadequate electricity supply or antiquated transmission infrastructure.
Paul Vitale is vice president, government and community relations of The Business Council of Westchester.
