The Coalition for Safe, Cleaner, Affordable
and Reliable Power for New Yorkers

Smart Power NY is a broad coalition of business, labor, and environmental groups as well as local and state elected officials and the local community, dedicated to bringing safe, clean and smart power to New York. By leveraging private investment only—no taxpayer or ratepayer funds are involved—we will ensure access to safe and reliable power, reduce carbon emissions, create new jobs and help New Yorkers save on their power bills. Supporting Smart Power NY is a practical way to embrace Governor Cuomo’s vision for a 21st century energy policy that encourages job growth and innovation to revitalize the Empire State’s economy.

Smart Power NY is proposing the only energy plan that meets all of the state’s priorities, including:

• New, well-paying jobs
• Cleaner, safer, cheaper energy
• Capacity to meet New York’s needs now and in the future
• Reliable power supply

Smart Power NY Coalition Pushes 21st Century Energy Agenda for Empire State

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State-of-the-State call to power our economic growth by strengthening New York’s energy infrastructure has several components, and this is one. Smart Power New York is a group of New Yorkers who have come together to advocate for a pragmatic energy agenda for the State.

The first part of this plan is repowering the NRG Astoria Generation Plant in Astoria, Queens. Repowering this facility will:

• Put 500 New Yorkers to work for three years building the plant
• Reduce onsite “peak day” emissions by 98%
• Displace less efficient units, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1,000,000 tons each year, the equivalent of removing 185,000 cars from New York City’s roads
• Increase generating efficiency by 56%
• Replace older technology units with new, efficient technology
• Help meet the electricity needs of New York’s growth with more generating capacity—enough to power 320,000 homes

In the media and in public statements, NRG has said it needs a “contract” or a “Power Purchase Agreement,” sometimes abbreviated as PPA, in order to repower the Astoria plant. All this means is that some organization, such as ConEd or NYPA, as part of their ongoing energy procurement activities, would purchase the electrical output of the plant for a certain number of years. The cost of building the plant itself would be borne by NRG alone, not by ratepayers or taxpayers.