To the editor:
Re “Cuomo’s war on the power grid” (July 18):
The Manhattan Institute’s Robert Bryce once again indulges in inaccurate scare-mongering regarding the effect of closing the Indian Point power plant by using outdated information from New York’s grid operator, the New York Independent System Operator, or NYISO. In a 2017 report, NYISO found that we could replace all but 100 megawatts of Indian Point’s output without new gas plants and that combinations “including generation, transmission, energy efficiency, and demand response measures” could meet this modest need.
In early 2018, NYISO updated its projections, showing that reduced peak load has eliminated all the “compensatory MW” need shown in the 2017 report. For example, the downstate summer peak forecast for 2020 is 380 megawatts lower than assumed in the 2017 report. Forecasts for subsequent years reveal even greater reductions. This means that there will be no problem powering New York when Indian Point closes.
In addition, we can do it with green power. We’ve made considerable progress toward replacing Indian Point with demand reduction, additional transmission and new renewables, and we are continually making more.
Just last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced procurement of 1,750 megawatts of offshore wind. In April, the grid operator approved 1,250 megawatts of transmission improvements that will allow wind and other renewables to get from upstate to the NYC greater metropolitan area more easily by relieving two major bottlenecks. In addition, battery storage is increasingly able to replace peaking power plants. Instead of looking to the past, let’s embrace the future, which is safe, efficient, clean and economical.
Paul Gallay
President
Riverkeeper
