FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 185-08 May 15, 2008 MAYOR BLOOMBERG FLIPS SWITCH ON FIRST TRI-GENERATION POWER PLANT IN NYC New Cleaner Power Plant Will Save Co-Op City Residents $15-$25 Million Annually and Cut Emissions by 40% Helping NYC Meet PlaNYC Goals
"The kind of emission reductions that we'll see as a result of this new plant will make a real difference here in the Bronx, where in some neighborhoods, children are hospitalized for asthma at four times the national rate," said Mayor Bloomberg. "This new plant will help us achieve another important goal of our PlaNYC - making New York have the cleanest air of any major city in America." Traditional power plants convert fuels such as oil or natural gas to electricity inefficiently because the conversion generates wasted heat. Co-generation plants divert that heat for other uses. In tri-generation fuel is used for three separate functions: it generates electricity, uses the waste heat or steam for heating and cooling, and diverts the excess steam to a turbine that generates even more electricity and heat energy, making it the most efficient type of power plant in use. "We're grateful to the Mayor's office and the Department of Environmental Protection for helping us to facilitate this vital new infrastructure for Co-Op City," said Othelia Jones, President of Riverbay Corporation's Board of Directors. "The Mayor has been there for Co-Op City and we're pleased that he's on hand today to mark this important occasion for the 55,000 residents of our community." Last year Mayor Bloomberg released PlaNYC, a series of
127 initiatives aimed at cutting New York City's total carbon emissions by 30%
by 2030. Those initiatives include efforts to reduce pollution from the
City's power plants. In addition to encouraging private sector buildings
to use cleaner fuel, the City has committed $285 million over ten years to
upgrade the boilers in more than 100 public schools. The newly renovated
plant at Co-Op City will remove the complex from the New York City electrical
grid, making it fully self sufficient. Extra power generated by the plant
will be available for power companies to use in case of a brown out or black out
during the peak summer months. MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser / John Gallagher (212) 788-2958 |
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