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For Immediate Release: 04/05/2022 Rory M. Christian, Chair Contact:
James Denn | James.Denn@dps.ny.gov | (518) 474-7080
22030 / 21-E-0628
April 05, 2022
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Virtual Public Statement Hearing Set Regarding Astoria Generating Company Energy Storage Project |
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ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold two virtual public statement hearings on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, to receive public comments concerning a petition filed on December 15, 2021, and supplemented on February 3, 2022, by Astoria Generating Company, L.P. (AGC) for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), and a lightened regulatory regime from the Commission. If granted, the CPCN would authorize AGC to construct, own, and operate an energy storage facility called the Luyster Creek Energy Storage Project to be located at AGC’s existing Astoria Generating Station in Astoria, Queens.
The proposed project will consist of two battery storage facilities located in separate areas of the existing 19.6-acre Astoria Generating Station. The first storage facility, LCES Facility 1, is proposed to have 56 megawatts (MW)/224 MWh of capacity and would be constructed on a pier. The second storage facility, LCES Facility 2, is proposed to have 79 MW/316 MWh of capacity and would be constructed on the back parking lot of the site. The battery storage facilities will be equipped with AC/DC bi-direction inverters, medium-voltage transformers, a main plant step-up transformer, and a facility breaker, and will interconnect to Consolidated Edison of New York, Inc.’s 138 kilovolt (kV) Astoria West Substation by underground cable.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that virtual public statement hearings will be held before Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Ashley Moreno on:
Those wishing to comment on any aspect of this proceeding will have the opportunity to make a statement on the record at the virtual public statement hearings. Any person wishing to provide a public statement on the record at the hearings must pre-register to do so by 3:00 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 2022.
To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide a statement and will log in to a hearing electronically may register to do so by visiting www.webex.com by the date and time indicated above, clicking “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, inputting the event number, and providing all requested information.
When logging in to the hearing on the appropriate date and time, participants will be asked to “select audio system.” It is recommended that participants opt to have the system “call me” or “call using computer.” The “call me” option will require that participants enter their phone numbers.
To register by phone: Any participant who is not able to log in to the hearings electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to make a statement at a hearing must register to do so in advance by calling 1-800-342-3330 by the date and time noted above, where they should follow prompts to the appropriate hearing and provide the following information: first and last name, address, and phone number. On the date and time of the hearing, all call-in users should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the access code listed above.
All participants will be muted upon their entry into the hearings. The ALJ will call on each person who has preregistered to make a statement, and will continue the hearing until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements to submit comments into the record have been made. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary to afford all attendees an opportunity to be heard. It is recommended that lengthy comments be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. A verbatim transcript of the public statement hearings will be made for inclusion in the record of this case.
To view/listen without commenting: Pre-registration is not required to view or listen to a hearing without making a statement. The hearings will be livestreamed on the internet and available for viewing on the Department of Public Service’s YouTube channel on the date and times listed above. To access the YouTube channel, visit the Department’s website, www.dps.ny.gov, and click on the YouTube icon at the bottom of the homepage. In addition, any person without internet access may listen to the hearings by phone by calling the phone access number (518-549-0500) and entering the applicable access code.
Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Management Office at 518-474-2520 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.
Other Ways to Comment
For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at the public statement hearings, there are several other ways to provide your comments. Comments should refer to Case “21-E-0628.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested by April 25, 2022.
Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search” and enter “21-E-0628” in the “Search by Case Number” field, and then click on “Post Comments” at the top right of the page; or send comments by email to the Secretary to the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov.
Alternatively, comments may be mailed to the Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350. All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission and may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website by searching the case number, as described above, and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab.
Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals may choose to submit comments by calling the Commission’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This line is set up to receive in-state calls 24 hours a day. These calls are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a procedural conference will be held immediately following the 5:00 p.m. Public Statement Hearing, as part of the same teleconference.
The principal purposes of the procedural conference are to identify any potential parties and provide interested persons an opportunity to present and explain any proposals regarding the procedures they believe should be followed in this case by the ALJ and Commission, including, but not limited to, whether any issues of fact presented by the petition or public comments warrant an evidentiary hearing. Other procedural issues also may be addressed.
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