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U.S. Northeast power plant building boom continues |
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NEW YORK, May 7 (Reuters) - |
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The latest crop of new power plants in the U.S. Northeast
is about to come on line, adding nearly 7,000 megawatts of generating
capacity in time to meet peak summer energy demand, power industry operators
said. The surge in new power plants, serving the populous Northeast corridor, will provide roughly enough electricity to run 7 million homes. Since most of these plants were already under construction before Sept. 11, they were not among the many projects dropped as a result of a slumping economy and lower energy demand following the attacks on New York and the Pentagon. NEW ENGLAND Power plant construction is strongest in the six-state New England grid, operated by ISO New England, where 3,663 MW have been installed since 1999, according to the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC). NPCC is one of 10 Regional Reliability Councils which form the North American Reliability Electric Council (NERC), which oversees the reliability of the power supply in North America. It also oversees the reliability of the power grids serving some 54 million people living in New York and New England in the United States and Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces of Canada. ISO New England expects about 350 MW of new generation to go on line before the 2002 summer season, and an additional 3,400 MW to enter service during the summer months. NEW YORK In New York, the grid operated by the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), energy companies are building up to 451 MW for the summer, in addition to the 471 MW the state-owned Power Authority, and other companies, built in the city last year. The NYISO expects 15 MW of the new generation to be located in New York City and 436 MW on Long Island, where energy supplies could be short this summer as consumers turn on air conditioners in record numbers. The Long Island additions include: FPL/Far Rockaway 5 (44 MW), Keyspan/Glenwood 6 (80 MW), PPL/Shoreham 3 (80 MW), PPL/Brentwood (80 MW), Keyspan/Port Jefferson (80 MW), the Wading River upgrade (16 MW), Calpine/Bethpage (44 MW) and Greenport (12 MW). PJM In the Mid-Atlantic grid, run by PJM Interconnection LLC, energy companies are expected to add 4,112 MW from June 1, 2001-June 1, 2002, with another 960 MW expected to enter service over the summer, according to the Mid-Atlantic Area Council (MAAC). MAAC, another of the 10 Regional Reliability Councils that form NERC, oversees the reliability of the power grid serving some 23 million people in all or parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. TABLE Plant Size State Owner NERC Grid (MW) region operator Lake Road 3 270 CT PG&E NPCC ISO-N.E. W. Springfield 1 & 2 80 MA Con Ed NPCC ISO-N.E. Milford 2 268 CT El Paso NPCC ISO-N.E. Kendall 172 MA Mirant NPCC ISO-N.E. Mystic 8 707 MA Sithe NPCC ISO-N.E. Granite Ridge 678 NH AES NPCC ISO-N.E. Bellingham 1 288 MA ANP NPCC ISO-N.E. Bellingham 2 288 MA ANP NPCC ISO-N.E. Newington 522 NH Con Ed NPCC ISO-N.E. Hope Energy RISE 500 RI FPL NPCC ISO-N.E. Far Rockaway 5 44 NY FPL NPCC NYISO Glenwood 6 80 NY KeySpan NPCC NYISO Shoreham 3 80 NY PPL NPCC NYISO Brentwood 80 NY PPL NPCC NYISO Port Jefferson 80 NY KeySpan NPCC NYISO Wading River upgrade 16 NY KeySpan NPCC NYISO Bethpage 44 NY Calpine NPCC NYISO Liberty 568 PA Reliant MAAC PJM Ontelaunee 511 PA Calpine MAAC PJM Bergen 550 NJ PSEG MAAC PJM Red Oak 830 NJ AES MAAC PJM Hay Road 200 DE Conectiv MAAC PJM --Scott DiSavino, New York Power Desk, +646-223-6072, fax +646-223-6079, e-mail scott.disavino@reuters.com |