Consolidated Edison Company of New York RE POWER® Project

Challenge

A major public utility owned a circa-1900 steam and power generating plant on 9-acres of prime, midtown waterfront Manhattan real estate. The facility was used as a manufactured gas plant until the 1920s, it was converted to a coal-fired steam and electric generating station, and later converted to a No. 6 fuel and natural gas generating plant.

The New York Times described this brownfield site as a “developer’s dream” but there were complex challenges to be managed to make this dream a reality. TRC’s RE POWER® team activities including:

• Decommissioning the site
• Demolishing the buildings
• Cleaning-up the environmental impacts associated with past operations to ready for site redevelopment

The technical intricacy of this project was unprecedented. The facilities’ materials required careful management, the highly populated urban setting presented challenging community and safety activities, and the detailed permitting required accurate application of federal, state and local regulatory requirements.

Solution

TRC served as the prime contractor, providing project and construction management services and health and safety management. Our RE POWER® strategy included the asbestos abatement and demolition of two circa-1900 steam and electric generating stations, the cleaning and removal of a 255,000 gallon fuel oil underground storage tank, the decommissioning and removal of acid and caustic tanks, the demolition of three 200-foot steel and brick smokestacks, the demolition of six eight-story boilers, the sealing of twelve-foot diameter East River cooling water tunnels, the remedial investigation, excavation and disposal of 20,000 tons of contaminated soil, and the sheeting and shoring of the site to protect adjacent roadways and public rights-of-way.

Results

• Facilitated the Redevelopment Transaction: The 9-acre site was fully prepared for redevelopment, planning millions of square feet of mixed-use property development.
• Removed Generating Station from Residential Area: TRC coordinated the community communications, safety, health and environmental controls, improving the residential area.
• Regulatory Requirements Satisfied: TRC completed the required environmental management under the supervision of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).
• Property Redevelopment Realized and Community Benefited: TRC’s program management of the plant demolition and site cleanup resulted in the successful redevelopment of the property that benefited the community. End uses include a New York City school and mixed use residential and commercial buildings.

TRC’s project resolution was recognized by the Environmental Business Journal for excellence.

Project Location: Manhattan

Completion Date: Redevelopment Ongoing