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Cuomo announces latest round of ReCharge NY power allocations

by jmaloni

Submitted

Thu, Dec 19th 2013 09:00 am

Nearly 17,000 jobs supported by newest power awards to enterprises across the state

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the New York Power Authority board of trustees approved another round of low-cost power allocations under his statewide ReCharge NY program. The nearly 33 megawatts of low-cost power will be distributed among 47 enterprises at 53 facilities and are expected to leverage an estimated $1 billion in capital investments. This round of allocations is supporting nearly 17,000 jobs.

"ReCharge NY has been creating and retaining thousands of jobs for New Yorkers since power began flowing under the program in July 2012," Cuomo said. "ReCharge NY continues to deliver affordable power to businesses and nonprofits, providing a critical resource and the flexibility needed for them to keep growing and investing in their communities. With this latest round of power allocations, we are supporting nearly 17,000 jobs across the state and fueling companies to grow our economy."

This is the seventh round of power allocations under the RNY program, which stems from legislation signed by the governor in 2011. The program, administered by NYPA, is designed to spur economic development throughout the state by providing low-cost power to businesses and other entities that agree to create or retain jobs.

John R. Koelmel, NYPA chairman, said, "The ReCharge NY program allows NYPA to direct low-cost power to key enterprises in every corner of the state. Today's action by the NYPA board will work to ensure that dozens of companies are able to keep growing and contributing to the upswing in the state's economy under Gov. Cuomo."

Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO, said, "This is now the seventh round of power allocations under the governor's ReCharge NY program. We've allocated more than 80 percent of the available pool of power, aiding in the commercial growth of these regions. Recharge NY has become one of New York's most important economic development tools, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, making a real difference for families and communities throughout the state."

Including this week's allocations, the governor's power program has provided approximately 735 MW to 533 businesses and 70 not-for-profit organizations over the past two years. (One megawatt is enough power to meet the needs of 800 to 1,000 typical homes.)

"ReCharge NY provides businesses and organizations with low-cost power, which in turn creates and retains jobs for New Yorkers," said State Sen. George D. Maziarz, chairman of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee. "The purpose behind this legislation was to spur economic development, and this round of awards is doing just that."

In addition to jobs and capital investment commitments, other evaluation criteria for ReCharge NY applications include the significance of the cost of electricity to the overall cost of doing business, the applicant's risk of closure or curtailing operations, the significance of the applicant's facility to the local economy, and its commitment to energy efficiency.

The ReCharge NY program offers up to seven-year power contracts to businesses. Half of the power under the program - 455 MW - is from NYPA's Niagara and St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt hydroelectric power plants, which provide some of the lowest-cost electricity in the state. The remaining 455 MW is economical power secured by NYPA from market sources.

This round of allocations includes:

Company

City

kW

Job Retention Commitment

Job Creation Commitment

Capital Investment

AlSher Pigments, Inc.

Lackawanna

2,100


85

50,000,000

Berry Plastics Corp.

Dunkirk

1,296

56

15

$3,000,000

Ford Motor Company

Buffalo

436

640

0

$70,000,000

Meals on Wheels Foundation of Western New York, Inc.

Buffalo

86

74

0

$250,000

PCB Piezotronics, Inc.

Depew

46

170

0

$400,000

Western New York Region Sub-totals:


3,964

940

100

$123,650,000

 

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