BAINBRIDGE – A proposal aimed at landing a new power generation facility in Bainbridge was passed over Tuesday, meaning the economic opportunities and over 1,500 immediate jobs that it reportedly included will not be coming to Chenango County.
“With all the effort that was put into it,” said Rick Chase, supervisor for the Town of Bainbridge, “it’s very disappointing that we were not chosen.”
According to the plan’s developers, Virginia-based AES Energy, and local officials, the coal-burning facility could have created between $20 to $25 million in annual revenue and a number of economic opportunities for the county as an accessible energy source for new industries.
“I’m very disappointed in the decision,” said Assemblyman Clifford Crouch (R-Guilford), who helped initiate talks between AES and local government and economic leaders. “I thought this site was superior to the other proposals based on its economic benefits and central location in the utility grid.”
AES submitted a bid to the New York Power Authority to upgrade and re-fire its existing Jennison generation plant in the Town of Bainbridge. The plan called for a clean coal burning facility that would have produced just over 500 megawatts of electricity, and held back 90 percent of its carbon monoxide emissions, company representatives said. The new Jennison proposal came in response to Governor George Pataki’s clean coal initiative to produce more affordable energy state-side, using environmentally safe means.
Instead of the Bainbridge site, the power authority has conditionally awarded the bid to NRG Energy Inc. of Princeton, N.J., which plans to construct a $1 billion clean coal power plant in Erie County, a NYPA press release states. NYPA is currently only calling the award a “strategic alliance,” because as it stands, NRG’s project will not be implemented until it can demonstrate it will produce economically feasible electricity, which none of the bids accomplished, NYPA said.
“Our team thoroughly reviewed the proposals submitted,” states the NYPA press release, “and determined that an alliance with NRG Energy would be best in seeing the Governor’s clean coal initiative become a reality.”
AES did not return messages by press time.
NRG and AES (which also submitted a second project set for Niagara County) competed for the award after three other bids from separate companies were eliminated from contention. NYPA said that proposals were reviewed based on an analysis of company resources, economic benefits, technical soundness, permitting soundness, and environmental impact. If NRG can lower its costs or receive additional private, state, or federal funding, the power authority could purchase up to 20 years worth of electricity from the company.
NYPA is the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility, with 18 generating facilities in various parts of the state and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines.