NEWS
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N.Y. Power Authority Trustees O.K. Allocation of Low-Cost Hydropower for Construction of Bleach Production Plant in Oneida County and 54 New Jobs Contact:
June 30, 2009 LEWISTON—The New York Power Authority (NYPA) Trustees Tuesday approved an allocation of low-cost hydropower to the City of Sherrill, in Oneida County, in support of plans by a Canadian company—Tibro Water Technologies—to build a bleach production plant, and create 54 new jobs during the next three years. An allocation of 1,000 kilowatts to the City of Sherrill Power and Light, one of 51 New York municipal electric systems and rural cooperatives served by the Power Authority, will help make possible Tibro’s investment of approximately $3.4 million in the new facility. The investment will include the company’s leasing of the 75,000-square-foot facility and its purchase of machinery and equipment. Tibro’s new facility will produce bleach directly from salt—an inert and safe raw material—instead of chlorine, the conventional method. “The Power Authority is always looking for opportunities to team with our muni and coop customers to create jobs and investments from allocations of available hydropower,” Michael J. Townsend, NYPA chairman, said. “The allocation to Sherrill that we approved today for the Tibro facility is an excellent opportunity to spur economic activity in this community, whose municipal electric system obtains all of its electricity from NYPA.” “We’re pleased to play a pivotal role in bringing Tibro to Central New York from the allocation of hydropower approved today by our Board of Trustees,” Richard M. Kessel, NYPA president and chief executive officer, said. “Under Governor Paterson’s direction, the Power Authority continues to apply its best efforts to maximize the benefits of the lower-cost power that we administer under various economic development programs that are linked to more than 400,000 jobs. These initiatives include the Municipal and Cooperative Economic Development (MCED) Program under which the Sherrill municipal electric system will be receiving additional power for the production facility planned by Tibro.” Last January, the NYPA Trustees approved an allocation to the Village of Frankfort, in Herkimer County, to help make possible Tibro’s location of a facility there. However, uncertainty regarding the need for environmental work at the site led to a change in plans by the company. “While it’s regrettable that problems arose in connection with the Frankfort site, we’re glad that we were able to team with the Sherrill municipal electric system so that Tibro will still be locating in Central New York,” Kessel added. The City of Sherrill is delighted by the Power Authority board’s approval of the additional amount of low-cost hydropower in support of Tibro’s plans,” Sherrill Mayor Joseph Shay said. “The new production facility is going to be a major asset to our small community, so we’re grateful to NYPA for the support it’s provided us with this allocation.” Shay noted that NYPA and Sherrill have previously partnered on other hydropower allocations under the MCED program for creating jobs at facilities operated by International Wire Group and Sherrill Manufacturing. In addition to the availability of the low-cost power, another factor in Tibro’s consideration of Central New York is the region’s proximity to the company’s customers and their distribution centers. The allocation to Sherrill for the anticipated increased power demand from the Tibro facility will be drawn from 54,000 kw of hydropower that are part of a larger block of nearly 765,000 kw that the municipal electric systems and rural cooperatives receive from NYPA’s Niagara Power Project as preference customers under federal law. About NYPA: ■ The New York Power Authority uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. ■ NYPA is a leader in promoting energy efficiency, new energy technologies and electric transportation initiatives. ■ It is the nation's largest state-owned electric utility, with 18 generating facilities in various parts of New York State and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. ■ About 75 percent of the electricity it produces is clean renewable hydropower. Its lower-cost power production and electricity purchases support hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the state. ■ For more information, www.nypa.gov. |
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