What Was That Loud Noise Heard On Roosevelt Island This Morning? Not An Explosion, Jet Engine or Machine Gun Fire But Transcanada's Big Allis Ravenwood Power Plant Pressure Relief Valve Releasing Steam Says NYC OEM And RIOC

 Image Of Transcanada Big Allis Ravenwood Power Plant Across East River From Roosevelt Island

Some Roosevelt Island residents were woken up and startled early this morning at around 6 AM  by the sound of what appeared to be a loud explosion. One resident sent me this message asking:

Any idea what this deafening jet engine sound is coming from the bridge/tram area is at 6 am? Been going on for 30 min.

and Toasty Ramirez tweeted:

does anyone in roosevelt island/astoria/LIC/QueensBridge hear that sound outside? sounds like a bunch of machine guns going off

The NYC Office of Emergency Management was looking into the source of the noise and tweeted at Notify NYC:

Loud noise near 40 Ave and Vernon Blvd, QN, audible in QN and MN. FDNY on scene, no explosion, fire, or impact to utilities occurred

then OEM found out what happened:

Source of loud noise near Vernon/40th Ave, QN was pressure relief valve at Ravenswood Power Plant. No public/environmental hazard.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) also reported:

the loud noise that is being heard on Roosevelt Island is the steam being released from the power plant in queens.

It is not a hazardous condition.

Sincerely,

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

Another Roosevelt Island resident asks:

Could you please find out why Keyspan feels the need to vent steam from their power plant at 6 AM. This started today at 6.04 am and is still going on. It sounds loud enough to wake the dead! Thanks...

The Ravenswood Big Allis Power Plant is no longer owned by Keyspan but by Transcanada. Here is their contact info. Let them know what you think.

Previous posts described sirens going off, water cannons spraying and black billowing smoke blasting from Big Allis.

UPDATE 12:30 PM - Here's a You Tube video of an incident at the power plant from February 2011.



According to the video maker:

The ConED plant just east of Roosevelt Island in Queens just went nuts making this LOUD electrical arc noise... A little scary even the boats left the area...

It's over now, but WTF? did something happen? Accidents? Deaths? Incompetence?

Again, the incident shown in the video did not happen this morning but in February 2011 and it is not a Con Ed power plant but Transcanada.

UPDATE 12/6 - Roosevelt Island elected officials respond here.