NYPA Petitions Public Service Commission to Establish Renewable Energy Access and Community Help Program
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) filed a petition at the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) to establish the Renewable Energy Access and Community Help (REACH) program to provide electric bill credits for low-income households across the state. The new program stems from the Power Authority’s expanded authority to develop, own, and operate renewable energy generating projects—either alone or in collaboration with other entities—granted in the 2023-24 Enacted State Budget and directly supports the State’s renewable energy and environmental justice goals set forth in the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).
NYPA President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “The REACH program will help ensure that low-income New Yorkers will not be left behind as we transition to a clean energy economy. The Power Authority is driven to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy in New York State through our expanded authority. This is a transformational moment for the state and this new REACH program will enable more New Yorkers to benefit from newly built renewable energy projects.”
REACH will directly benefit low-income electric ratepayers using renewable generation from distributed energy sources in their communities or from large-scale renewable projects located throughout the state’s electric power grid. The bill credits will be funded from a portion of revenues from new renewable energy generation projects developed or contracted for by NYPA and designated for REACH, and other authorized funding. The petition asks PSC to establish a regulatory framework to allow electric utilities to receive funds from the Power Authority to credit low-income ratepayer’s bills.
NYPA requests that PSC build the REACH program utilizing the same structure as the Energy Affordability Program and as the Statewide Solar for All program, which Governor Kathy Hochul announced in her State of the State address on Jan. 9, 2024. The use of existing regulatory structures will lower costs for program administration and allow for more funds to be received by low-income ratepayers.
The petition, which comes more than three months ahead of the statutory filing deadline of May 3, 2024, will be issued for public notice and comment by PSC. Following stakeholder input, NYPA requests that PSC issue an order establishing the program by the end of this year to ensure that REACH is ready for implementation in 2025. The timing will coincide with the Power Authority’s planned issuance of its first biennial Strategic Plan for building new renewable energy generation projects in January 2025.
Once the REACH framework is established, NYPA will confer with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) to implement REACH within LIPA’s service territory. In addition, NYPA is currently studying the feasibility and advisability of establishing a similar program for municipal distribution utilities and rural electric cooperatives.
The Power Authority’s positive impact on New York’s carbon footprint dates to the 1950s and 1960s when it constructed the state’s largest hydroelectric power plants in Niagara and Massena. Over decades of innovation—from smart generation and transmission to renewable energy and clean transportation—NYPA is now well-positioned to help move the state into the next era of renewable energy production and toward realizing the state’s clean energy goals.