LIPA Releases Outline for Update to Draft Energy Master Plan
Public Input Critical to Plan’s Success
Uniondale, NY – January 31, 2008 – Long Island Power Authority (LIPA)
President and CEO Kevin S. Law today announced the release of a Draft Outline
for the updated LIPA Energy Master Plan. Law called for an update to the
existing plan last month.
“LIPA’s Energy Master Plan needs to reflect recent changes in the industry,
ever soaring fuel prices, supply, changes in the markets and environmental
regulations and policy,” said Law. “Since the completion of the initial plan, we
now have better information on cost and performance of resource options.
Additionally, many new sources of energy require a lead time of 5-7 years for
development. The time is now to start looking at what resource options will best
meet our energy needs for the future.”
Rapid growth in both local demand and energy requirements drove LIPA’s
initial energy plan, which was developed through a public process in 2003 and
2004 gathering input from customers and other interested parties from across
Long Island. The existing plan attempted to create a blueprint that could serve
as a guide for the Authority through the year 2013. The current Energy Plan is
being updated for the period 2008 – 2017.
LIPA’s initial Energy Plan contained over 100 specific goals and targets and
achieved a staggering success rate. “Over 80 percent of the initial plan’s goals
have been completed, implemented, or approved and funded,” said Law. “However,
over the past four years, conditions have dramatically changed with higher fuel
prices, improvements in technology and new state and federal energy policies. We
must update the plan to account for these changes, and I want the plan to be
developed through an open, transparent process. Input from the people who live
and work in LIPA’s service territory is critical to our success in this regard.”
Release of the outline is the first of a five step public process that will
be used develop the Energy Master Plan that will be followed by:
- Soliciting public input on the draft outline,
- Developing a Draft Energy Master Plan based on the outline and the
public input received,
- Holding public hearings on the Draft Energy Master Plan,
- Revising the plan based on the public hearings and new information that
may become available after the preparation of the Draft and issuance of a
Final Energy Master Plan for consideration by the LIPA Board of Trustees.
The outline identifies 40 energy efficiency, power generation, repowering,
transmission, and renewable energy technologies that will be evaluated in the
plan, the various resource scenarios that will be evaluated and the economic,
production efficiency, reliability and environmental evaluation metrics that
will be used to assess the plan.
A copy of the Draft Outline is attached and is also available on LIPA’s Web
site at:
http://www.lipower.org/company/powering/energyplan08.html
Public input on the Outline will be received through various methods
including written comments, input on LIPA’s Web site, e-mail and statements made
at public hearings (locations and dates to be announced). It is anticipated that
public hearings will take place in late February and early March. Written,
e-mail and Web based input will be accepted throughout the process and for one
week after the last public hearing. Written comments can be emailed to
EnergyPlan@lipower.org or sent
through regular mail to:
Kevin S. Law
Attn: LIPA Energy Master Plan
Long Island Power Authority
333 Earle Ovington Blvd, Suite 403
Uniondale, NY 11553
“The Energy Master Plan must be comprehensive, covering all aspects of
electricity planning; and it needs to be a real plan that gets implemented, not
another white paper that does nothing more than sit on the shelf collecting
dust,” Law said. “It must be flexible and include a robust portfolio of resource
options while addressing new initiatives such as Governor Spitzer’s call to
reduce emissions 15% by the year 2015 and changes in environmental regulations
and policy such as carbon footprint reductions.”
After conclusion of the public input period, a Draft LIPA Energy Master Plan
will be developed with a targeted release in the summer of 2008. Thereafter,
additional public hearings will be held to receive input on the analysis
performed and to hear from interested parties on recommendations to the Final
LIPA Energy Master Plan. The plan will then be revised and presented to the LIPA
Board of Trustees for their consideration. Release of the Final LIPA Energy
Master Plan is targeted for late 2008 or early 2009.
LIPA proposes to organize the LIPA Energy Master Plan and supporting
documentation as follows:
- Volume 1, Strategic Plan, will provide a description of LIPA’s Energy
Master Plan for the period 2008 through 2017;
- Volume 2, Energy Primer, will provide an overview on the current state
of the energy industry, background on LIPA, and a review of the initiatives
LIPA is undertaking to promote customer understanding of the critical energy
issues facing Long Island today;
- Volume 3, Technical Report, will provide detailed information regarding
the planning process and the planning methodologies employed to create the
Energy Master Plan;
- Volume 4, Response to Comments, will summarize the comments received
during the Energy Master Plan related public hearings, organized according
to similarity of contents; and
- Volume 5, Appendices, will provide additional and supporting details on
studies, methodologies, and criteria used in the planning analysis.
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