New York Power Authority's (NYPA) four-year, US$135M programme to modernise and extend the life of the Blenheim-Gilboa pumped storage power project is expected to begin its second phase this month. The first phase of the programme began in September 2006 and was successfully completed in May.
‘We were pleased with the results of the first phase of the Life Extension and Modernization (LEM) programme,’ said Allen Schriver, NYPA regional manager, Central New York. ‘The LEM programme will allow Blenheim-Gilboa to produce more power from the same amount of water while extending the facility’s record of reliable service for decades ahead.’
The LEM programme includes the replacement of many of the major mechanical and electrical components of the project’s four pump-generating units, and maintenance and repairs to virtually all other parts. The schedule calls for NYPA to commence work on the second pump-generator in mid-September, with that unit slated to return to service the following June. The work on the other two pump generating units will be undertaken in the same manner over successive years, with the LEM programme scheduled for completion in June 2010.