Energy- TransGas Energy Facility

Why TransGas Energy in NYC?
In New York State, the generation of electricity is subject to a competitive market place. TGE's proposed facility is expected to be very efficient and will be well positioned to compete against and displace generation from older, less efficient generating facilities. Studies performed by municipal and state organizations forecast that New York State's and New York City's power demands are growing and more generation capacity must be built.

What it looks like:

TGE is taking extraordinary care to design its plant to be visually compatible with a modern, vibrant, urban setting. The plant design will not fit most people’s image of what a power plant or an industrial facility looks like. It will look more like a modern building than like the older power plants that currently exist in the city. We believe the architecture of this facility will redefine how power generating facilities should be designed in the future.

How it works: Waste heat from an electric power plant still contains enough heat to generate steam. Some electric generation potential is typically sacrificed in order to generate the steam but the overall effect greatly increases efficiency. When a single plant produces both electricity and steam, it is called a “cogeneration” facility. By making use of the waste heat, cogeneration systems can achieve overall efficiencies of 75% or more. The primary technological breakthrough leading to a significant jump in efficiency was the introduction of combined-cycle technology. This technology “combines” a gas turbine with a conventional steam turbine. The efficiency improvement occurs because fuel is combusted only once — in the gas turbine. The hot exhaust gases from the gas turbine are used to heat the steam needed to generate electricity in the steam turbine. Older baseload plants utilizing only steam turbines were limited in their efficiency to less than 40%. Combined-cycle systems can achieve efficiencies approaching 55%. Combined cycle technology became possible only after gas turbines were adapted for power generation in the 1970s.

What it is:

Trans Gas Energy Facility will be a 1,100-megawatt (MW) cogeneration facility on the East River between the Greenpoint and Williamsburg's North Side sections of Brooklyn. The proposed Facility will also be capable of producing up to 2 million pounds per hour (mmlbs/hr) of steam for export to Con Edison's steam distribution system in Manhattan. The proposed state-of-the art facility will convert natural gas to electricity, adding in numerous ways to the reliability in New York City’s electricity supply. It will produce energy much more efficiently and cleanly than the facilities that are currently operating in New York City. TGE also has the capability to supply steam to the Con Edison steam system. The site of the proposed installation is presently an oil storage and trucking terminal. It has served as an oil and fuel storage terminal for over 100 years. The Department of City Planning proposed in June 2003 to convert this industrial zone to parkland. In response, TGE formulated a concept for an underground design, with a park topping the site. Whether built above or below ground, the TGE plant will become an anchor facility for a new and revitalized north Brooklyn waterfront. TGE’s facility would rehabilitate an active industrial site located in a drab, pedestrian-unfriendly industrial area. TGE's underground design takes up only an acre of land and the surface, and dedicates the remainder to waterfront parkland, which can become part of a future waterfront access network.

Benefits:
Economic: Reduced energy prices, economic stimulation, enhanced reliability
Environmental: Improved air quality, Brownfield cleanup, water savings
Social/Cultural: Innovative architecture, New York City 2012 Olympics, education of the arts
Architectural: Dynamic architecture, sustainable design, waterfront access
Land Use: Compact design, part atop plant, Olympic park