Ravenswood Generating Station
Queens County
A NYSERDA “Just Transition Site Reuse Study” Helps to Reimagine Ravenswood
New York City’s largest fossil-fired power plant plans ahead for its transition to a renewable energy hub with help from a NYSERDA Just Transition Site Reuse Planning Study grant, which is stewarded by Borough President of Queens, Donovan Richards, Jr.
Snapshot
Plant:
Ravenswood Generating Station
Location:
Long Island City, Queens
Area Population:
2,316,800 (Queens)
Ownership:
Rise Light & Power, a New York-based affiliate of LS Power that manages and develops energy assets.
Energy Profile:
2,000 MW plant that generates electric power; New York City’s largest fossil-fired power plant (natural gas & fuel oil).
Study Dates:
October 2023 – May 2025
Study Technical Assistance Provider:
HR&A Advisors, a company that helps create more equitable, resilient, and dynamic communities.
Ravenswood Generating Station. Credit: Getty Images
Ravenswood: The Backstory
Occupying approximately 28 waterfront acres in Long Island City, the Ravenswood Generating Station was built by Con Edison and began operations in 1963. In 1965, when Ravenswood’s Unit 30 generator (known as “Big Allis”) was placed into service, it was the world’s largest electric generating unit. To this day, Big Allis can produce an impressive one million kilowatts of electric power.
At maximum operation, the site generated nearly 2,500 MW, consisting of three steam turbine generators (~1,800 MW), one combined-cycle generator (~250 MW), and 17 simple-cycle gas generators (or “peakers” -~500 MW). Peakers supply quick-start power to meet peak electricity demands, especially in the summer.
Rise Light & Power completed the permanent retirement of Ravenswood’s 17 peaker units in 2024; the station’s current maximum capacity is now approximately 2,000 MW. Its generators are dual-fuel capable – they primarily run on natural gas but can switch to #2 fuel oil during the coldest days when the gas supply is most constrained by building heating needs.
The Site and the Neighborhood
Located in an industrial business zone on the East River in Long Island City, Ravenswood is part of a city-designated area designed for industrial uses. There is a mix of small manufacturing, small business spaces, and hotels.
Adjacent to Ravenswood is New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Queensbridge Houses, which is the largest public housing development in North America. There is also a second NYCHA campus nearby, Ravenswood Houses. Both developments are in an area historically referred to as “Asthma Alley” due to the high concentration of heavy traffic, industrial activity, and power generation.
Photo gallery of Ravenswood and the surrounding area. Credit: NYSERDA
New Ownership, New Vision
Over decades, the ownership of Ravenswood changed several times after Con Edison divested from it in 1999. In 2017, it was acquired by LS Power, which created a plan to transform Ravenswood into a hub of clean energy.
Its affiliate, Rise Light & Power (Rise), began working to implement the Renewable Ravenswood vision, gradually transitioning the site away from fossil fuel generation toward reliable, renewable, clean energy. That vision includes:
- Offshore Wind: Repurposing existing infrastructure to connect thousands of megawatts of clean energy into the New York City grid to where it is most needed
- Upstate Renewables: Connecting new wind, solar, and other clean energy resources from Upstate to New York City’s electric grid to provide reliable, year-round power
- Clean Thermal Energy: Repurposing Ravenswood’s river-water intake system to provide zero-emission thermal energy to nearby communities.
- Energy Storage: Helping to balance the intermittent nature of renewables by deploying large-scale battery energy storage
- Just Transition: Maintaining the commitment to the on-site union workforce by keeping and creating family-sustaining, good paying jobs, and providing clean energy job training and workforce development.
Rise has also prioritized community involvement and feedback, interfacing regularly with neighbors in nearby public housing. Regular appearances in public, alongside tours of the facility for community groups and advocates, have bolstered public support of the transition.
A Just Transition Site Reuse Planning Study
In 2023, the Office of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr., was awarded support through NYSERDA’s Just Transition Site Reuse Planning program for a planning study. The program provides studies, planning services, and other technical services to aid communities seeking to mitigate any negative impacts of fossil fuel plant closures and to plan for an eventual transition.
The “Reimagine Ravenswood” planning study began in October 2023 and is slated for completion in 2025. The study, which is being done in coordination with New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, received matching support from Rise Light & Power.
An Energy Study, Community Conversations, and Social Justice
Ravenswood is located adjacent to an area designated by New York State as a Disadvantaged Community (DAC). The study recognizes the site transition as an opportunity to catalyze just economic and community development in the neighborhood:
- To generate economic and public health benefits for all members of the community
- To improve connections to the waterfront and potentially provide limited public open space
- To transform the Vernon Boulevard Corridor running adjacent to the site into a more vibrant and inviting space
Public workshop #1 at Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement, March 2023. Source: HR&A Advisors
A Unique Chronology for Change
- Summer 2023: Rise convened community conversations to inform local residents and workers about the benefits of Renewable Ravenswood.
- October 2023: The Office of the Queens Borough President applied for the NYSERDA Just Transition Site Reuse Planning Program. It also selected HR&A Advisors, a company that helps create more equitable, resilient, and dynamic communities, as its technical assistance provider. Then, it partnered with Rise to scope out a community-driven planning study. The goal of the study is to help the neighborhood prepare for the transition of the Ravenswood Generating Station into a renewable energy hub.
Lessons Learned from Performing a Study
Public engagement has underscored the neighboring community’s significant interest in environmental justice, waterfront open space, and green jobs that would be accessible to local residents, including NYCHA residents.
Economic analysis has revealed the area around Ravenswood employs people in light industrial and storage types of jobs, who generally commute in from outside the neighborhood. These existing businesses generally do not participate in the existing supply chain needs of the plant; future development of renewable energy technologies at the site may provide opportunities for upstream suppliers to grow or relocate into this area, generating new jobs and economic activity.
Existing conditions analysis has revealed that the neighborhood is disproportionately exposed to multiple overlapping environmental justice challenges. These include air quality concerns; coastal storm surge and inland flood risk; extreme heat; and a lack of open space or tree canopy compared to other parts of the city.
Engagement with City agencies has revealed substantial opportunities for Reimagine Ravenswood to dovetail with local plans and creative initiatives. These initiatives include: (1) workforce development and business development goals in the City’s Green Economy Action Plan; (2) holistic community resilience planning under the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice’s “Climate Strong Communities,”; and (3) the City’s recent “Blue Highway” initiative that promotes using waterways for transporting goods, reducing truck traffic, and reducing emissions.
Today, Ravenswood continues to operate a fossil fuel-powered plant to serve New York City’s power needs until new renewables are interconnected. However, as of May 1, 2023, all 17 peakers have been retired. It employs 120+ workers, the majority of whom are members of UWUA Local 1-2, and continues to provide over 20% of New York City’s local generation capacity.
“The days of environmental and economic injustice in Western Queens, especially for our historically marginalized public housing families, are coming to an end. As we prepare to transform the Ravenswood Generating Station into a clean energy producer, it’s critical that the surrounding community reaps the benefits of that transition,” said Borough President Richards.
“To that end, it’s the families of Western Queens who deserve to lead this process. I look forward to hearing how our families feel Renewable Ravenswood can best uplift themselves and their community, and I encourage everyone to make their voices heard in the months ahead.”
–Statement from the Queens Borough President’s Office
Does your community have a power plant?
If so, contact NYSERDA at [email protected] and find out if it is eligible for a Just Transition Site Reuse Planning Study. A study can help your community better understand its energy needs and preferences today and into the future.
Find out more about NYSERDA’s Just Transition Study Program.