STONE RIDGE – The Marbletown Community Center was packed out for the public forum on new power grid issues held on Wednesday, January 29. Carl Chipman, Rochester town supervisor, was moderator and speakers included Tom Rumsey, New York independent system operator, John Maserjian from Central Hudson-Fortis, James Denn of the Public Service Commission and John Dodson of Boundless Energy NE, LLC.

A pair of major issues were discussed. First, the "New Capacity Zone" that is required because of the current bottleneck in energy transmission between Leeds in Greene County, just west of Catskill, and Pleasant Valley in Dutchess, to the east of Poughkeepsie. Second, the upgrading of the current power lines, which could mean the addition of more lines on current towers in Dutchess County, or a very different approach involving new technology power lines that would be laid underground through Ulster County, and then taken back across the Hudson near Poughkeepsie to make the link at Pleasant Valley.

Rumsey gave a quick, focused overview of the problem. South East New York, including the city, Long Island, and Westchester, has 50 percent of the state's generating capacity but also 64 percent of the demand for power. Meanwhile, new "green" generating capacity has come on line in the Adirondacks where wind turbines have been installed. Moving that power to consumers on Long Island and in New York City requires more carrying capacity through the Leeds-Pleasant Valley bottleneck. Rumsey noted that there were only two ways to solve this problem — increase generating capacity in the South East of the state, or move more power through the bottleneck.

Rumsey also explained that 1,700 megawatts of generating capacity had been lost from the area because of power plant closures. Currently mothballed plants might be brought back into service, and new resources are expected to be available by 2016. The enhancement to the power lines, through the New Capacity Zone, could also change things by that year.

What does it all mean to electricity consumers?

Higher prices, power brown outs on peak demand days, and other economic effects.

"For five days in a row last summer," said Rumsey, "Large scale users reduced demand, because they had to."

Maserjian, of the newly merged Central Hudson-Fortis, was critical of plans to raise the price of electricity in a bid to attract generator construction in the area.

"Our opinion is that this is just going to enrich the current generators," he said. "Better, we think, is the increased transmission solution."

This would include the New Capacity Zone concept, which he thought should be phased in over three years. In addition, Central Hudson-Fortis is working to return retired generating capacity to service.

In ensuing discussion, several members of the public asked why more power could not simply be generated in the south eastern part of the state, or, perhaps greater efficiencies imposed there, rendering the need to transmit more power through the Hudson Valley unnecessary.

Another popular topic in the discussion was whether or not the Public Service Commission would listen to residents' concerns, or whether they would be ignored. Another point, made by Sharon Kotler of No Monster Power Lines, said that rural customers were profoundly different from those in the city and its suburbs. She maintained that any improvements to the power lines should be made south of Dutchess County.

The proposal by Boundless Energy NE LLC was possibly the most interesting aspect of the evening. They suggest using a new and rather different style of cable to increase transmission capacity without adding towers or cables to those already in existence. They also suggest moving the power south through buried cables in Ulster County, and then taking it under the Hudson River at Roseton to join the transmission system in Dutchess, south of the bottleneck.

The Boundless cable has a ceramic fiber-reinforced aluminum core wrapped in aluminum/zirconium wires, and can carry as much as three times the electric load carried by conventional cables. Their proposal includes replacing some conventional lines, as well as putting in underground lines, along the eastern edge of Ulster County.

Speaking for the Public Service Commission, James Denn tried to reassure the audience that the commission would listen to proposals and complaints from the public. A discussion for the commission is set for its February 20 meeting.

"One of the primary concerns we're hearing is that we try to keep projects within the existing right of way," he said. "I've heard that loud and clear."