Power co. scraps plan for natural gas turbines in B’klyn

An energy company is pulling the plug on a controversial plan to install natural gas turbines at a power plant in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

The proposal had come under criticism as a step backward while the state government attempts to phase out fossil fuels and switch to clean sources of energy.

Eastern Generation said it was withdrawing its application to replace combustion turbines at the Gowanus site — considered to be among the dirtiest power plants in the city — with natural gas units.

“Eastern Generation is well positioned to assist in the transition to a carbon-free future while continuing to provide a safe and reliable electric system,” Mark Sudbey, CEO of Eastern Generation, said in a statement earlier this month.

“We are prepared to help meet zero-carbon goals. Our actions today are part of this larger effort as we look at our existing sites and beyond to help reimagine a safe, reliable power supply.”

The company will be retiring two barges located at the canal that have used oil to generate electricity and building three clean-energy storage units — one at Gowanus, another at Brooklyn’s Narrows and a third in Astoria, Queens.

Outgoing city Comptroller Scott Stringer, who had criticized the original plans for the Gowanus plant, said he welcomed the move.

“With the defeat of fossil-fuel power plant expansions in Gowanus and Astoria, New York City is on its way toward a more sustainable future,” he said. “That a depot for the most polluting of oil fuels is poised to transition into a hub for renewable energy and battery storage is a powerful symbol of the clean energy transition we need to achieve our climate goals.”

Eastern Generation has filed the paperwork needed to set up the storage site in Astoria. Once that site and the other two locations are up and running, they’ll provide a hefty 350 megawatts of storage for the city.

To start, the storage units will contain power created through a mix of sources, according to Eastern Generation VP John Reese. They’ll use more and more clean energy as the state phases out fossil fuels, he said.

The state’s “Clean Energy Standard” aims for 70% of power in New York to come from renewable sources by 2030.