Oldest power plants face ax

Facilities that cause smog would be closed under proposed rules

Some of the state’s oldest, dirtiest power plants would likely close under proposed air pollution rules aimed at reducing smog during the summer, especially around metropolitan New York City.

Announced Thursday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the rules would apply to fossil-fuel power plants that emit large amounts of nitrogen oxide, which combines with sunlight during hot summer days to produce smog.

Smog can cause breathing issues, particularly in older people, the young, and those with respiratory ailments, such as asthma. During state-issued alerts, people are advised to limit strenuous outdoor physical activity or stay indoors.

“These proposed regulations are a critical step toward getting older, dirty power plants off the grid in the state’s most vulnerable areas, and demonstrates New York’s leadership in developing a clean energy economy and healthier communities for generations to come,” said Cuomo.

The proposals are aimed at so-called “peaker” power plants, which are usually run only during times of high electrical demands, such as heat waves when more air conditioning is used. But these older plants can emit 30 times more nitrogen oxide than a modern natural gas-fired power plant, which makes more smog.

The targeted peaker plants are located in the New York City and Long Island area, which have a history of elevated smog alerts.

None are in the Capital Region or upstate.

These plants account for about 3,500 megawatts of potential electrical production statewide, or slightly less than 10 percent of the state’s potential electricity from all sources, including nuclear, hydro, wind and solar.

A typical fossil fuel-fired power plant can be about 500 megawatts, which can power up to a half-million average homes, so current peaker plants have the potential capacity to power about 3.5 million homes.

Gavin Donohue, president and CEO of the Independent Power Producers of New York, said the proposal, some two years in the making, is “reasonable and based on science.” Donohue’s Albanybased lobbying group represents about 80 companies that generate about threequarters of the state’s electricity.

The proposed stricter ozone standards would likely result in owners of such plants choosing to either shut down or replace aging technology, which in some cases is up to five decades old.

Last summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told the state it intended to label the metro region — which had 99 days of elevated ozone in 2017 — as having a “serious” smog problem.

If the state were to reach its federal ozone standards, it could eliminate up to 90 deaths a year from respiratory illness, as well as more than 26,000 days where people miss work or school because of illness, according to a notice from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Last May, the Capital Region and the rest of the state were placed under a smog alert after temperatures shot past 90 degrees.

Donohue said proposed ozone rules would kick in in May 2023, with a further tightening in May 2025, which will give plant owners time to decide what to do. Before that, operators of the state electrical grid would determine how potential closure of peaker plants might impact the reliability of the state’s electrical supply.

“Peaker plants are not run all the time, but they are quick to operate during times of high demand, like heat waves,”

Donohue said. “Implementing these rules over time will allow plant owners to make rational decisions and investments.”

Upgrading ozone pollution control technology on an older power plant can cost about $2 million, according to DEC. The agency “expects the most impacted facilities will choose to replace or shut down,” the notice continued.

Conor Bambrick, an air policy analyst with the Albany-based lobbying group Environmental Advocates of New York, said he expected most such plants would shut down since pollution upgrades would be too expensive to justify the investment.

Bambrick said state plans announced by Cuomo to invest in both renewable energy and storage technologies will help provide back-up power during emergencies as older “peaker” power plants close.

Several public hearings are scheduled on the proposed rules, including a session at 11 a.m. May 6 at DEC headquarters, 625 Broadway, Albany.

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