National Grid Ventures Advances Plans to Rebuild Long Island Gas Plants Amidst Energy Transition Challenges
National Grid Ventures, the unregulated arm of National Grid, has submitted applications to New York's grid operator to construct three new gas units on the sites of its existing, aging power plants on Long Island. This move signals a potential resurgence in gas-fired power generation in New York, despite the state's climate law mandating a zero-emissions grid by 2040. The proposed projects include two generators totaling over 1,100 megawatts at the E.F. Barrett plant in Nassau County and another 450 megawatts at the Northport Power Station in Suffolk. These new units could power more than 1 million homes and facilitate the retirement of older turbines, some as old as 70 years. National Grid aims to have all three units operational by 2035. State officials have indicated that replacing, rather than shutting down, downstate gas plants may be necessary until 2035 to compensate for offshore wind projects that were blocked during the Trump administration. The company suggests these new plants could eventually ...
