Thursday, July 20, 2023

What Was That Heavy Black Smoke Belching From Long Island City Ravenwood Power Plant Smokestack Across East River Next To Roosevelt Island Last Night? Owner Rise Light & Power Explains And Describes Transformation Plan For 100% Renewable Energy

Last night a Tipster sent in this photo of heavy black smoke

belching from the Rise Light & Power Ravenswood Generating Station smokestack in Long Island City across the East River from Roosevelt Island.

Today, I asked Rise Light & Power:

There was heavy black smoke coming from the Rise Power & Light smokestack yesterday which raised concerns from Roosevelt Island residents and others.

Does Rise Light & Power have any comment on the matter? What was the cause of the smoke and do you have any response from nearby residents concerned about the health issues associated with the smoke?

Among the Roosevelt Islander Instagram comments about the black smoke were:

  • How do we know all these chemicals will not cause cancer in the long run ?
  • My health issues are going absolutely haywire. No I know why! Thought it was all from Canada fires… holy smokes!
  • Add this to the Canadian wildfires smoke … really bad

Rise Light & Power Vice President of External Affairs Sid Nathan answered:

Rise Light & Power is committed to providing reliable power to New York City while we work to achieve the State’s nation-leading goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040. These operations are subject to rigorous environmental standards and permits, which include stringent regulations on ‘opacity,’ the technical term for whether the combustion exhaust is visible to the human eye. 

As with all environmental matters, we strive to meet or exceed the conditions of our permits. Due to a simultaneous malfunction of two separate pieces of equipment, Ravenswood Unit 10 exceeded its permitted opacity for a period of approximately 12 minutes. 

We are grateful to the working women and men of Ravenswood, proud members of the UWUA Local 1-2, who responded as quickly as possible to reduce opacity and still maintain reliable power supply. 

We have already self-reported this event to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 

Looking ahead, we recognize the need to transition to more sustainable forms of energy. That’s why we’ve committed to Renewable Ravenswood, our vision for retiring all 1,800 MW of our 1960’s-vintage fossil generators and replacing them with renewable energy sources. Our plan and new virtual experience for residents is available online at Renewable Ravenswood.

Learn more about Renewable Ravenswood.

By ROOSEVELT ISLANDER at 9:30:00 PM

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