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In November, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) will begin a demonstration project at its Brentwood Power Station on Long Island, in collaboration with its project partners: the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), General Electric (GE), Airgas, an Air Liquide company, Sargent & Lundy, and Fresh Meadow Power, to assess the potential of substituting renewable hydrogen for a portion of the natural gas used to generate power.
The state’s overall decarbonization strategy, as defined in New York’s nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, includes a study of renewable hydrogen in this application (Climate Act). Representatives from the project’s partner organizations visited Brentwood today to see how far the facility has progressed in terms of being ready to start the project.
The first-of-its-kind demonstration, led by NYPA, will assess the effects of various concentrations of hydrogen blended with natural gas at regular intervals in order to assess the blend’s effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as its overall system and environmental impacts, including nitrogen oxide emissions. Peer-reviewed data will be shared with the business and public at the end of this short-term initiative to further determine what measures will assist New York State meet its target of lowering carbon emissions by 85 percent by 2050. The project is projected to take six to eight weeks to complete.
“As the first utility to conduct a demonstration project aimed at evaluating how an existing power generation facility can operate with a hydrogen and natural gas blend, NYPA continues to lead the nation in exploring new and innovative paths towards decarbonizing electricity production,” said NYPA Chairman John R. Koelmel. We are honored to collaborate on this project with our esteemed partners, and we look forward to presenting the outcomes.”
“The Green Hydrogen Demonstration Project is vital to our road to decarbonization,” stated NYPA Interim President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. We’re eager to learn from this initiative and share what we’ve learned with the rest of the industry so that we can all take a step closer to a clean energy economy.”
“In order to reach an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we will have to employ every tool in our toolbox, including new techniques and technologies that we may not have even found yet,” stated Gil C. Quiniones, President and CEO of NYPA. This initiative is an example of a broad group of energy professionals getting together to test solutions to one of the world’s most important problems: climate change. We’ll share the findings of this demonstration project with the whole industry so that we can all make educated decisions about moving toward a carbon-free economy.”
The Brentwood Power Station, which is powered by a natural gas-fueled GE LM-6000 combustion turbine, was built in 2001 to supplement Long Island and New York City’s power producing capacity in the event of a power crisis. As the gas turbine’s original equipment manufacturer, GE will provide a cutting-edge hydrogen/natural gas blending technology as well as planning and execution assistance for the project. Sargent & Lundy, as the project’s engineer of record, will conduct comprehensive engineering and safety evaluations. Fresh Meadow Power provides pipe system design, material procurement, and installation services, while Airgas provides renewable hydrogen.
“Achieving net zero involves coordination throughout the energy industry and the use of all available techniques and resources. EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor remarked, “Demonstrating hydrogen mixing in gas turbines is a great example of moving the needle ahead in our endeavor to achieve our decarbonization target.” “As we work together to lower our collective emissions, New York has one of the most aggressive renewable energy objectives in the country, and this program may be emulated throughout the state and nation.” EPRI is ecstatic to be collaborating with NYPA on this ground-breaking initiative, bringing additional industry experience to the table through our relationship with the Gas Technology Institute and the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative’s 48 industry sponsors.”
“GE is honored to provide NYPA with industry-leading equipment and to assist in the delivery of one of the world’s first hydrogen demonstration projects, demonstrating the important role that gas-fired power plants can play in the energy transition in New York and around the world,” said Scott Strazik, GE Power’s CEO. “As an industry, we must continue to take action now to cut emissions from power generation while also investing in and developing technologies that will help us combat climate change in the future.”
“Fresh Meadow Power is thrilled to be providing design and installation support for this unique project at the New York Power Authority’s Brentwood Generating Facility,” stated Fresh Meadow Power Vice President John Valvo. The potential to provide local service assistance while employing a local labor force gives our community hope for a brighter, cleaner future.”
Paul Eiden, Senior Vice President of Sargent & Lundy, stated, “Sargent & Lundy is pleased to assist NYPA and EPRI with engineering oversight and safety evaluations for the nation’s first full-scale demonstration project converting an existing power generation plant to run on hydrogen-blended fuel. We’re ecstatic to have the chance to collaborate with such prestigious industry partners and to use our 130 years of expertise in the power business to this innovative transformation. We’re excited to observe how hydrogen-based fuels affect the energy industry and, most significantly, the environment.”
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