A key piece to the region's clean energy future is rising in Brooklyn's Vinegar Hill neighborhood on the banks of the East River.
Con Edison is building the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub, a transmission substation that will strengthen New York's power grid, help meet the region's growing demand for electricity, and serve as a gateway for offshore wind power.
Utilizing renewable energy sources, the hub will serve as a critical plug-in point for future offshore wind infrastructure. The hub will be able to accommodate up to 1,500 megawatts or enough electricity to power 750,000 homes.
Construction is expected to create more than 500 skilled union jobs.
"The Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub represents a major milestone in the clean energy transition and will strengthen our grid's reliability," said Tim Cawley, Con Edison's chairman and chief executive. "This project will offer a critical plug-in point to connect with offshore wind, while creating good jobs, supporting economic growth, and advancing New York's climate goals."
Cawley was joined by elected officials, labor, community, and climate advocacy leaders who noted the importance of Con Edison's partnership in New York's clean energy future.
"This project will demonstrate the economic power of the clean energy transition and the amazing skill of our unionized workers," said James Shillitto, the president of Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America. "The working relationship Local 1-2 has with Con Edison is going to make it possible for clean, renewable wind power to reach homes and businesses in New York City, displacing electricity generated by fossil fuels. Together we are creating jobs, economic growth, and a clean energy future."
"I applaud Con Edison for its commitment to a clean energy future with the development of the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub," said state Senator Kevin Parker. "This substation not only offers connections for offshore wind energy, but also represents a significant step toward achieving New York's electric future. By investing in clean and renewable energy sources, we are not only protecting our environment but also creating much-needed union jobs and supporting economic growth in our communities."
"As we emerge from a summer of extreme weather events and dangerous heat waves, New York's transition to a clean energy future is more important than ever," said state Assemblymember Brian A. Cunningham. "The Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub is a vital step forward in our clean energy journey and will spur innovation and economic growth for years to come. I commend Con Edison for its work on this facility and its commitment to a sustainable future for New Yorkers."
"The Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub is a crucial step toward ensuring that Brooklyn's homes are powered by cleaner, greener energy," Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said. "I applaud Con Edison, one of Brooklyn's primary energy distributors, for initiating this clean energy plan in the borough and committing to 100 percent clean energy by 2040. The future is fossil fuel free. This is a great first step, and we must work with urgency to transition away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible, ensuring an environmentally sustainable future for Brooklyn."
"There's never been a more critical time to transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy resources to power our communities," said City Council member Lincoln Restler. "I look forward to working with Con Edison and local stakeholders to open the hub by 2028 to help meet our state's ambitious climate and clean energy goals."
"The Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub is a promising multi-value solution for enhancing the electric grid that will help ensure that there are enough points of interconnection to meet New York's ambitious offshore wind goals while also accommodating additional load from expected electrification of the building and vehicle sectors and providing important resiliency benefits to communities in Brooklyn and Queens," said Christopher Casey, senior attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).
"The groundbreaking of the new Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub shows that we can transform the fossils of dirty industry into new clean energy projects," said Shay O'Reilly, senior organizing representative for the Sierra Club. "This is happening right here in Brooklyn, in real time, and we're excited about the tremendous opportunity - especially for offshore wind - that New York City has to expand renewable energy, create clean energy jobs, and provide cleaner air for New Yorkers."
"It's all hands on deck when it comes to meeting New York's ambitious climate targets, and the local distribution company plays a key role in cost-effectively integrating clean energy sources like offshore wind into the grid," said New York Offshore Wind Alliance Director Fred Zalcman. "We applaud Con Edison's creativity in helping overcome the physical and technical challenges of bringing offshore wind generation to New York City's electric consumers through the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub."
Barges will deliver some components and construction materials to the site, minimizing traffic on local streets. Con Edison consulted with community leaders on plans for the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub building designs.
"Downtown Brooklyn Partnership enthusiastically welcomes the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub to the neighborhood," said Regina Myer, the president of the Brooklyn Downtown Partnership. "As areas like Downtown Brooklyn grow and implement new technologies, we need sustainable infrastructure to meet our energy and public health needs, while also creating hundreds of new jobs for our ever-expanding community. We thank Con Edison for championing the state's ambitious environmental goals here in Brooklyn and for spearheading solutions for a greener, cleaner city."
"The Brooklyn Chamber Commerce has long supported innovation and Con Edison's new Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub does that, while also improving the lives across the borough," said Randy Peers, president and chief executive of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. "The new offshore wind project will also benefit local businesses and bring a sense of environmental justice to the community, which will soon be able to have access to clean energy. Thank you, Con Edison, for including the Brooklyn Chamber in today's event and your dedication to renewable energy."
Preparing for Growing Energy Needs
As a critical partner in meeting New York's goal of a zero-emission energy grid by 2040, Con Edison is thinking more boldly about ways to strengthen and expand our energy system to accommodate new sources of renewable energy and increased demand.
The transition to electric vehicles and heat pumps is already driving up demand for power in New York City and Con Edison has identified neighborhoods where demand will exceed the existing infrastructure's capacity by 2028. The Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub will help address those future reliability needs.
Connecting to Offshore Wind
Offshore wind is key to meeting New York's renewable energy targets. The state's plan to build 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2035 requires onshore injection points for the power. But the availability of potential interconnection points in New York City and Long Island is limited by space and grid constraints.
To meet that challenge, the project will have the potential to serve as an interconnection point for 1,500 megawatts of offshore wind power, offering developers the opportunity to plug future projects into New York City's grid.
Located at the site of the former fossil fuel-fired Hudson Avenue Generating Station, the hub represents Con Edison's commitment to supporting environmental justice communities. To help hold down costs to customers, the project will be built on land that Con Edison already owns.
Con Edison has served New York for 200 years and has a record of designing, building and operating complex, technologically advanced energy projects.
Building a Resilient and Reliable Grid Across New York
The Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub will distribute power via underground transmission lines to the planned Gateway Park Area Substation in Canarsie, Brooklyn, and other substations, and support the expansion of JFK Airport and the region's economic growth.
The hub will also allow for increased energy transfers across Con Edison's high-voltage transmission system and will be built to withstand extreme weather and the impacts of climate change.
Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $16 billion in annual revenues and $64 billion in assets. The utility delivers electricity, natural gas and steam, and serves 3.6 million customers in New York City and Westchester County. For financial, operations and customer service information, visit conEd.com. For energy efficiency information, visit coned.com/energyefficiency. Also, visit us on Twitter and Facebook.
