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New York City and upstate could experience power outages in the summer of 2025 when fossil fuel power plants shut down. Such power plants have always helped the city during heat waves, but in 2025 they will be forced to close to meet the state’s goal of increasing the share of “green” energy, writes Yahoo.
The grim assessment comes from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), a non-profit organization that monitors the state’s power grid and warns of power outages.
As the study notes, the city could experience an energy deficit of about 450 megawatts. One megawatt powers 1,000 homes on a day of peak energy demand. The deficit will grow during heat waves above 36 degrees.
While NYISO highlighted these concerns in reports dating back to 2021, it is the first time it has painted such a nightmarish scenario for the city’s energy future.
The NYISO report linked potential power outages to plans to shut down so-called “peak power plants,” New York’s key goal of building a carbon-free energy system based on renewable energy sources—solar, wind, and hydro—to close the state’s energy needs.
On the subject: 23 tips to help you save money on electricity
Peak power plants may be shut down despite upcoming electricity demand
In 2019, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection introduced the “Peak Load Rule,” which places limits on nitrogen oxide emissions, effectively shutting down peak power plants that generate electricity during times of high demand.
After decades of operation, 37 peak power plants that have failed to upgrade their pollution control systems are planning to close operations, state officials said.
“Given the lack of additional peak power plants, the electricity transmission network will not be able to provide a reliable and safe service,” the report says.
Critics of the state’s transition to renewable energy, including owners of fossil fuel power plants, used the results of the NYISO study to suggest the state should rethink its strategy. They argue that the construction of renewable energy is too slow to justify the closure of fossil fuel plants, especially in New York.
“The pace of development has not matched the pace of promises, and the report makes it clear,” said Gavin Donoghue, chairman of the New York Independent Power Generation Alliance, a trade group representing fossil fuel power plants and other energy producers. “NYISO has repeatedly warned about grid reliability, and this report highlights the reality that generator decommissioning cannot outpace the addition of new sources with the characteristics NYISO needs to maintain reliability.”
On the subject: A quarter of the city’s population will suffer: how sea level rise will affect New York
The NYISO report indicates that the shutdown of peak power plants is not the only factor that could lead to outages. Increasing demand for electrification of vehicles and buildings is also stressing the electricity grid.
In the coming months, NYISO will unveil solutions that include keeping some peak power plants running. This decision is likely to cause controversy from environmental activists. Several groups are pushing for the closure of peak power plants located in densely populated areas in the Bronx and Queens. Areas that are called “Asthma Alley” because of the high level of diseases of the respiratory system.
The report also highlights potential problems in western and central New York that will be caused by the addition of several large manufacturing plants. Including Micron, which plans to spend $100 billion on a semiconductor manufacturing plant near Syracuse.
“This new STAR report reflects the extraordinary challenges of the power grid during the transition period,” said Zach Smith, NYISO Vice President of Systems and Resource Planning. “The reliability of the electrical system is essential to the health and safety of all New Yorkers, as well as the nation’s economy.”
On the subject: A geothermal residential building is being built in New York: it will receive heat from a hole in the ground
Is there a solution to the problem
The report says that the expected energy gap could be closed by a plan to bring hydroelectric power from Canada. Delivery is possible via a 545-kilometer cable, most of which runs along the Hudson River. The $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) is scheduled to start delivering electricity to New York by spring 2026.
In a statement, the Cathy Hokul administration expressed confidence that the state will be able to meet its climate goals while protecting the grid from power outages.
“To be clear, the reliability of our network is undeniable,” the statement said. “We’re committed to providing New Yorkers with reliable, affordable power—and we can do that while meeting our core climate goals. Governor Hokul remains fully committed to rapidly reducing emissions and is setting an example of how clean energy and reliability can go hand in hand.”
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Major power outages expected in New York
New York City and upstate could experience power outages in the summer of 2025 when fossil fuel power plants shut down. Such power plants have always helped the city during heat waves, but in 2025 they will be forced to close to meet the state’s goal of increasing the share of “green” energy, writes Yahoo.
The grim assessment comes from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), a non-profit organization that monitors the state’s power grid and warns of power outages.
As the study notes, the city could experience an energy deficit of about 450 megawatts. One megawatt powers 1,000 homes on a day of peak energy demand. The deficit will grow during heat waves above 36 degrees.
While NYISO highlighted these concerns in reports dating back to 2021, it is the first time it has painted such a nightmarish scenario for the city’s energy future.
The NYISO report linked potential power outages to plans to shut down so-called “peak power plants,” New York’s key goal of building a carbon-free energy system based on renewable energy sources—solar, wind, and hydro—to close the state’s energy needs.
On the subject: 23 tips to help you save money on electricity
Peak power plants may be shut down despite upcoming electricity demand
In 2019, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection introduced the “Peak Load Rule,” which places limits on nitrogen oxide emissions, effectively shutting down peak power plants that generate electricity during times of high demand.
After decades of operation, 37 peak power plants that have failed to upgrade their pollution control systems are planning to close operations, state officials said.
“Given the lack of additional peak power plants, the electricity transmission network will not be able to provide a reliable and safe service,” the report says.
Critics of the state’s transition to renewable energy, including owners of fossil fuel power plants, used the results of the NYISO study to suggest the state should rethink its strategy. They argue that the construction of renewable energy is too slow to justify the closure of fossil fuel plants, especially in New York.
“The pace of development has not matched the pace of promises, and the report makes it clear,” said Gavin Donoghue, chairman of the New York Independent Power Generation Alliance, a trade group representing fossil fuel power plants and other energy producers. “NYISO has repeatedly warned about grid reliability, and this report highlights the reality that generator decommissioning cannot outpace the addition of new sources with the characteristics NYISO needs to maintain reliability.”
On the subject: A quarter of the city’s population will suffer: how sea level rise will affect New York
The NYISO report indicates that the shutdown of peak power plants is not the only factor that could lead to outages. Increasing demand for electrification of vehicles and buildings is also stressing the electricity grid.
In the coming months, NYISO will unveil solutions that include keeping some peak power plants running. This decision is likely to cause controversy from environmental activists. Several groups are pushing for the closure of peak power plants located in densely populated areas in the Bronx and Queens. Areas that are called “Asthma Alley” because of the high level of diseases of the respiratory system.
The report also highlights potential problems in western and central New York that will be caused by the addition of several large manufacturing plants. Including Micron, which plans to spend $100 billion on a semiconductor manufacturing plant near Syracuse.
“This new STAR report reflects the extraordinary challenges of the power grid during the transition period,” said Zach Smith, NYISO Vice President of Systems and Resource Planning. “The reliability of the electrical system is essential to the health and safety of all New Yorkers, as well as the nation’s economy.”
On the subject: A geothermal residential building is being built in New York: it will receive heat from a hole in the ground
Is there a solution to the problem
The report says that the expected energy gap could be closed by a plan to bring hydroelectric power from Canada. Delivery is possible via a 545-kilometer cable, most of which runs along the Hudson River. The $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) is scheduled to start delivering electricity to New York by spring 2026.
In a statement, the Cathy Hokul administration expressed confidence that the state will be able to meet its climate goals while protecting the grid from power outages.
“To be clear, the reliability of our network is undeniable,” the statement said. “We’re committed to providing New Yorkers with reliable, affordable power—and we can do that while meeting our core climate goals. Governor Hokul remains fully committed to rapidly reducing emissions and is setting an example of how clean energy and reliability can go hand in hand.”
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