New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the New York Power Authority’s Board of Trustees has approved three low-cost hydropower allocations that will create 102 jobs across Western New York and spur $145 million in private capital investments.
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The approved awards of 3.58 MW of hydropower from NYPA’s Niagara Power Project in Lewiston are to Americold Real Estate in Chautauqua County, SGS Recovery in Niagara County and Sumitomo Rubber USA in Erie County.
“Protecting our environment and supporting our economy aren’t mutually exclusive, and the Niagara Power Project provides clean, renewable energy that directly supports economic development throughout Western New York,” Governor Cuomo said. “These three power allocations will create more than 100 jobs and spur investment in the region while assisting New York in its transition to a clean energy economy. Our state is committed to a renewable energy future that benefits all New Yorkers, and these awards are an important part of our strategy to foster new investment and job creation while using renewable sources of energy.”
Americold Real Estate L.P.—which is based in Georgia and owns and operates 238 temperature-controlled warehouses for the storage of perishable goods—was awarded 830 kW of hydropower to establish a new cold storage facility in Dunkirk that will create 60 jobs.
SGS Recovery LLC in Niagara Falls, a sustainable waste management and recycling company, was awarded a 750-kW hydropower allocation for its planned lease of a new 30,000-square-foot building in Niagara Falls for the conversion of recycled materials into process engineered fuel, which is used as a substitute for fossil and petroleum-based fuels in the cement industry.
Sumitomo Rubber USA LLC in Tonawanda — a manufacturer of automotive tires for trucks, cars, buses and motorcycles — was awarded 2 MW of hydropower for a planned expansion to double its daily tire production.
“Today’s NYPA board action to award three companies with hydropower allocations will help create more than 100 jobs in Western New York. The Power Authority is committed to help economic recovery in the region as we press forward to rebound smartly and safely from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said NYPA President and Chief Executive Officer Gil C. Quiniones.
Low-cost Niagara hydropower is available for companies within a 30-mile radius of the Niagara Power Project or businesses in Chautauqua County.
Governor Cuomo’s climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the U.S., NYPA said, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70% renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy-wide carbon neutrality.
NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the U.S., operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80% of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower.
