Empire Generating Co, LLC is the owner of a 635 net megawatt (MW) (including 107 MW of duct firing capacity) combined cycle, natural gas fired power plant (the Project) currently under construction in Rensselaer, New York.

FirstLight Power Resources, Inc. and its affiliates (FirstLight) are currently acting as project manager for and operator of the Project.

The Project will result in a variety of economic benefits for the region, including the creation of jobs, millions of dollars in local and state tax revenue, and clean, reliable electricity for New York State. These benefits are estimated to total approximately $290 million over a 20 year period.

Empire Generating Co, LLC also provides significant environmental benefits to the community and the state. It is one of the first projects to be accepted into New York State’s voluntary Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP), signed into law by then-Governor George Pataki in October 2003. The program encourages developers to invest their resources in the environmental remediation and redeployment of existing non-productive sites, thereby assuring that these properties will make an economic contribution to the communities in which they are located.

Community Liaison Program

FirstLight has implemented a Community Liaison Program (CLP) to help streamline communication with surrounding communities and stakeholders regarding construction and operation of the project. The program is administered by Jim Ginnetti, FirstLight’s Vice President-External Affairs who is serving as the Project’s Community Liaison Officer. FirstLight has also formed a Citizens Committee comprised of local officials and representatives that meet regularly for Project status updates.

Future updates on the Empire Generating Project, including CLP newsletters, updated Project timelines, and significant Project events will be posted on this site.

Project Benefits

• Payment of property taxes (PILOT).
• Employment of up to 525 union construction workers for over a two year construction period.
• Employment of approximately 20 full time positions.
• The beneficial clean-up and productive redeployment of the BASF site.
• Participation of the Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency.
• A Host Community Benefit Agreement with the City of Rensselaer.
• A Benefit Agreement with the Rensselaer City School District.

Contacts

• For additional information, contact FirstLight’s Community Liaison Officer, Jim Ginnetti, toll-free at (866) 532-6176 or by email at Empire-Generating-Co-LLC@gdfsuezna.com.
• For media inquiries, contact Thomas Nardacci of Gramercy Communications at (518) 694-3034.
• FirstLight’s community office is located at 152 Broadway in Rensselaer, NY and is staffed Tuesdays from 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. and Thursdays from Noon to 6 P.M.
• For inquiries about full time positions, e-mail HartfordCareers@gdfsuezna.com.
• Click here for directions to the Empire site.

Project Photos

• Construction Photos - September, 2008
• Construction Photos - April, 2009
• Aerial Construction Photos - September, 2009

Additional Information

August 19, 2009 - Notice on expanded construction schedule:

The Empire Generating Project has been granted permission by the New York Department of Public Service to supplement its existing work schedule with some Sunday work over the next 14-18 weeks. This will allow the Project the ability to make up some lost work days due to the large amount of rainfall in July. The Project’s contractors will plan on scheduling Sunday construction activities that do not produce significant noise beyond the site boundaries.

Below are links to additional documents concerning the Empire Generating Project:

• Project Timeline (842KB)
• Community Liaison Program (814KB)
• Newsletter - November, 2007 (76KB)
• Newsletter - January, 2008 (1MB)
• Newsletter - March, 2008 (862KB)
• Newsletter - July, 2008 (977KB)
• Newsletter - October, 2008 (833KB)
• Newsletter - January, 2009 (939KB)
• Newsletter - April, 2009 (54KB)
• Newsletter - July, 2009 (43KB)
• Newsletter - November, 2009 (929KB)