National Grid has withdrawn its application to build two large boilers for natural gas — known as vaporizers — in North Brooklyn after a state utility regulator determined the project was not necessary to meet energy demands.
The company had planned to build the vaporizers, which process liquid natural gas, at its Greenpoint Energy Center facility. According to National Grid, the project would have enabled it to deliver energy at a faster rate during peak energy use times, such as during cold snaps, which the utility claimed would be necessary to meet forecasted energy demands.
But last month, the state Public Service Commission announced the vaporizers would not be required to meet energy demands for at least the next five years or potentially longer. As a result, the state would not reimburse National Grid for $38.8 million in costs the utility had incurred in developing the project.
In a letter National Grid sent to the state Department of Environmental Conservation last month withdrawing its application, the utility said it disagreed with the commission’s analysis and would resubmit its application in the future.
For now, the withdrawal marks a win for the lawmakers and environmental advocates who have long called for the company to halt expansion of gas infrastructure in North Brooklyn, citing concerns over the health risks the vaporizers could pose to nearby residents and the need for New York City to transition away from using non-renewable energy sources like gas.
“This is a huge victory for the North Brooklyn community and for advocates for environmental justice everywhere,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler, who represents parts of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. “We are well past the point where we can afford to build new fossil fuel infrastructure.”
For more than three years, lawmakers and advocates have protested National Grid’s projects in the neighborhood, including a fight to shut down the expansion of a natural gas pipeline.
“The fact is, we are moving New York City to renewable energy,” said Kim Fraczek, director of the state environmental advocacy group Sane Energy. “We're talking about energy efficiency, building electrification — we don't need the gas anymore.”
If the utility does resubmit its application, advocates said they will continue to push against it.
“As we are working to rapidly phase out oil and gas, the gas industry is working to rapidly lock themselves into our communities through infrastructure,” said Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, who represents part of North Brooklyn. “National Grid and others need to be focusing on rapidly transitioning to renewables.”
National Grid said in a statement Monday that it believes bringing the vaporizers online remains necessary for the company to maintain a reliable energy supply, as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing older, less efficient equipment.
