The drive to decarbonize Albany's Empire State Plaza gets in gear thanks to an extra infusion of funding in this year's New York state budget.
For decades, neighborhood activists have called for the closure of the Sheridan Avenue steam-generating facility that powers Albany’s Empire State Plaza. Advocates like Merton Simpson, the 2nd district Albany County Legislator and co-chair of SHARE, the Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy, have been arguing in favor of renewable-energy alternatives.
"We are the lead group that was championing the geothermal reconstruction of the 79 Sheridan Avenue steam plant and the decommissioning of it, because since 1911 through, you know, coal, oil, gas and trash, the community has been poisoned," said Simpson.
Now, state leaders are finally poised to make remediations to the maligned plant, even as activists call for a different approach.
The changes to the plant are thanks to $136 million in the recent New York state budget that’s been allocated to pay for the greening of the nearly 12-million-square-foot plaza. The funding comes on top of the $100 million that Governor Kathy Hochul pledged in 2024 under the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act.
Emily Rubenstein, Deputy Commissioner for Resiliency and Sustainability at the New York State Office of General Services, says energy efficiency at the Sheridan Avenue plant is a top priority as leaders look to entirely decarbonize the plaza, and that’s why the four-phase project is beginning with changes at the Sheridan Avenue plant.
"We have come a very long way from the emissions that this plant used to produce at Sheridan Hollow, and we've made incredible progress in focusing on improving the air quality and the health of the community through our efforts to 'green' the plant, decarbonize the plant, and with this phase one for which we are now have complete funding. We will be replacing two chillers, electrifying two chillers, and installing a an electric heat recovery chiller, which will, in total, decrease local air emissions 21%," said Rubenstein, noting that OGS is working with local stakeholders.
"So we've spent a lot of time with the local communities, with the city, with the county, with local representatives to ensure that there is real clarity, because when we talk about Empire State Plaza, when we talk about the plant, it is really what is fueling and heating and cooling our entire state capital. So there's really not an opportunity to shut it down, because then you wouldn't be able to run state government," Rubenstein said.
Still, Simpson argues the state should fast track more funding toward geothermal energy, which he says would reduce more emissions faster. He suggests greening be carried out in a modular fashion, in which project phases are implemented concurrently versus step-by-step.
Rubenstein says $500,000 NYSERDA provided to support the Energy Infrastructure Master plan to Decarbonize Empire State Plaza resulted in creation of the four phase approach.
"The second phase of this plan would be to, as the health lab at Harriman Campus is built, would be to move the lab that is currently in the basement of Corning Tower," said Rubenstein. "It is incredibly inefficient from an energy perspective, it would be to move that lab out into the new energy efficient building on the campus, and to renovate that space. With those first two phases, we will be able to achieve 50% reduction in emissions at Empire State Plaza from our operations, which is enormous."
Phase three calls for developing and building out a thermal energy network that Rubenstein says will achieve 91% reduction in emissions, but would take nearly 20 years to complete.
Simpson insists it could be done more quickly.
"We have a cadre of people that actually has more expertise than they do. In other words, we work with some people who are responsible for Cornell Ithaca or the Bloomberg center on, you know, the island, and for internationally, several geothermal projects. The state doesn't have anybody with that kind of expertise," said Simpson.
Rubenstein says OGS is committed to its plan and will continue to work with the community while focusing on the set goal.
"Through this four phase plan, we anticipate that 100% reduction. We're very excited with this latest tranche of funding from the latest budget, we will achieve 21% reduction first phase one and with phase two, will be more than 50%," she said.
