The Gowanus Generating Station is a 640MW fracked gas power plant built in 1971. It floats on barges on the Brooklyn waterfront at 29th Street, and in Sunset Park near 53rd street. It’s owned and operated by AlphaGen, a private equity firm, and it’s a “peaker” plant – it runs when energy demand on the grid is at its very highest, which is less than 5% of the time.
When it runs, the plant burns fracked gas to create electricity. This makes it a major air pollution source, especially on the hottest days of the summer when air pollution is worst. The air pollution causes asthma, emphysema, heart disease and cancer. It also heats the climate.
The power plant is old and obsolete, and state regulations mandate that it will be closed in 2029. However, AlphaGen wants to replace the current fracked gas power plant with an entirely new and larger gas power plant. Governor Hochul controls the permits the company needs. If built, the new power plant would likely cost ratepayer – us – hundreds of millions of dollars, cause higher pollution for decades to come, and higher utility bills for all of us.
Call Governor Hochul at 518-474-8390 to STOP the Gowanus fracked gas plant. We don’t want higher bills and more pollution!