The Greenport Village Board is once again poised to vote on a possible peaking power plant for Moores Lane.
Robert J. Foxen, president and CEO of Global Common, a Garden City company, came before the board last night to discuss energy opportunities, including the peaking power plant and a chance for a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Microgrid prize.
Foxen also presented the board with a plan for a peaking plant last year, but that proposal fell through after PSEG withdrew its request for proposals for an additional plant; one site had been proposed for Moores Lane in Greenport.
Still, Foxen said, a “significant need” remains on the East End for a peaking plant.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYSERDA are advocating distributed and renewable energy generation to improve grid reliability and resiliency to reduce costs, he said.
The plan, he said, would offer “significant financial benefits for Greenport with minimal impacts.”
Rumors are circulating that another RFP might be issued, focusing just on the East End, he said.
The possible new plant, he said, would have a capacity of 50 to 75 megawatts, have natural gas as its primary fuel, with high efficiency reciprocating engines, and would be located at a mutually agreed site near the existing peaking plant on Moores Lane, with an eye toward minimizing visibility. The plant would have minimal emissions and environmental impacts, Foxen said.
Benefits of the peaking plant would be rental income for the village ranging from $350,000 to $500,000 per year, taxes between $900,000 and $1.5 million per year, and the ability to provide supplemental energy for Greenport, a facet of the plan that was not part of last year’s proposal.
Also on the table is the chance for Greenport to compete for a grant from the New York Microgrid Prize Program, aimed at fostering development of microgrids, with an eye toward improving grid reliability, resiliency and fuel costs. Plans would need to include a mix of conventional and renewable energy, Foxen said.
The program would unroll in three phases, with the village having to compete in each phase. The first would be the chance for a feasibility study, with $100,000 awarded to up to 25 entities. The second wold include design and business planning, with up to $1 million awarded to 10 entities, and the last would focus on project build out and operations, with up to $7 million available for five winners.
Greenport has a good chance of eligibility, Foxen said, due to criteria such as vulnerability to storm impacts and the presence of critical facilities such as the hospital and fire department in the village.
Proposals for the grant program are due by May 15, he said.
Next steps would include a letter of support from the board, needed for the Global Common team to take the lead and work on the prize proposal for NYSERDA; the proposal would be prepared at no cost to Greenport.
A conditional lease option agreement would also be needed, Foxen said; site control was needed to discuss the issue with PSEG and proceed, he said. He added that the execution of the option would be subject to the board’s determination that there would be no significant or unacceptable safety or environmental impacts.
New Mayor George Hubbard said when the peaking plant was discussed last year, there was no ability for the village to get power from the facility, something that’s now a benefit, he said.
New Trustee Doug Roberts asked why Greenport was chosen. “The East End is a big place,” he said.
Foxen said Greenport already has microgrid control and wires, enabling it to operate independently and in tandem with a grid.
Also, he said, “The other advantage is an underground cable that runs from Southold to Shelter Island and to the Hamptons, in East Hampton, so by having the plant here we’ll be able to serve Greenport, the North Fork and the South Fork, so that makes this location very desirable.”
Roberts asked why a site couldn’t be chosen on the South Fork.
Hubbard said NIMBYism likely prevailed, with Shelter Island and the South Fork choosing not to have the power plant in their towns. But, he said, the plant would have little environmental impact and serve as a revenue generator for Greenport.
“It’s a trade off,” Foxen said. “You guys have to decide if it’s worth the benefits.”
Trustee Mary Bess Phillips said the feasibility study, free, would help the board to answer those questions.
And, Trustee Julia Robins said, some of the prize money, if awarded, could be used for renewable energy alternatives such as solar.
While some residents applauded the proposal and said the peaking plant and grant funding could prove a windfall for the village, at least one resident asked the board not to vote for a peaking plant that would serve the energy needs of the Hamptons.
