The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has upgraded the first of 12 pump-turbines at the Niagara Hydroelectric Power Plant's Lewiston Pump-Generating Plant (LPGP) as part of a 10-year, $460M Life Extension and Modernization (LEM) program, which began late last year.
"The LPGP upgrade is in line with Governor Cuomo's emphasis on modernizing the state's electric power system to optimize its performance and reliability," said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and chief executive officer. "The Niagara Hydroelectric Power Plant is one of the state's premier electric power assets in terms of the enormity of its low-cost, emission-free power production. That value is being enhanced by our major ongoing investment on the multiyear upgrade at LPGP."
“The completion of work on this first pump-turbine generator marks a significant step in the critical infrastructure upgrade at our Lewiston Pump-Generating Plant," added Joseph Kessler, NYPA senior vice president for Power Generation. "The Power Authority is committed to ensuring that the Niagara Hydroelectric Plant is able to operate at maximum efficiency for decades to come, providing some of the lowest cost electricity in the country to the region's businesses and other customers."
The modernization at LPGP provides for the upgrade of the facility's 12 pump-turbines and the replacement of generator step-up transformers, which date back to 1961 when the Niagara plant went into service. The next pump-turbine unit is scheduled to be taken out of service later this month.
LPGP provides electricity during periods of peak power demand, supplementing the output of the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, the main generating facility. The work at LPGP will overhaul one pump-turbine every eight to nine months, ensuring that 11 of the 12 LPGP turbine units are available for operation during the upgrade so that NYPA can meet commitments to its power customers.
Work on the plant's refurbishment includes contract awards to Ferguson Electric of Buffalo.
LPGP is one of two major pumped storage facilities in New York State - the other being the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant, in the northern Catskills, another NYPA facility. In May 2010, the Power Authority completed a four-year overhaul of that facility.
