LIPA report: Barrett plant overhaul not cost-effective

An overhaul of Island Park’s E.F. Barrett Power Station would not make economic sense, according to a report released last month by the Long Island Power Authority, as energy demand in the region declines.

Though repowering the plant — replacing steam turbines with newer equipment at its current site — would increase efficiency and environmental friendliness, it would cost more than $1.1 billion in its first 10 years of service — an average additional cost of $536 for each residential LIPA customer, the three-year study by PSEG Long Island stated. Similar studies released last month showed that it would not be feasible to repower the station in Port Jefferson or to move forward with Caithness II, a proposed $2.9 billion plant in Yaphank.

An independent assessment determined that the existing Barrett units are well maintained and “reliable for their age,” and though not being repowered at this time, the plant, LIPA officials assured, serves a need, and will continue to operate.

But local leaders and the Island Park school district have shown concern for the Barrett plant’s future. LIPA now pays $36 million in property taxes annually on the plant, which represents about 47 percent of the district’s tax base.

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