Kessel Announces Plan to Increase LIPA's Energy Efficiency Efforts & Holds Out Possibility of Adding Third New Cable Link to LI by 2013 Ideas Are Advanced As Way to Reduce Energy Demand & Growth & Fossil Fuel Dependence Brentwood, NY - July 28, 2005 - Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) Chairman Richard M. Kessel today announced that LIPA will significantly increase spending on its Clean Energy Initiatives (CEI) next year by at least $15 million as part of a multi-year effort to encourage its commercial, industrial and municipal electric customers to reduce consumption by using a range of energy efficient technologies. LIPA's goal is to achieve nearly 75 megawatts of savings through the program to help stretch Long Island's energy supplies and reduce the need for fossil fuel-generated electricity. Mr. Kessel also announced that as part of a longer-term strategy to meet Long Island's ever-growing demand for electricity beyond 2013, and to further reduce its reliance on oil and other fossil fuels, LIPA is reviewing the potential for another major cable link to the Mid-Atlantic States. By adding another major cable in addition to the 660 MW Neptune cable that is due in service in 2007, and the 330 MW cross-Sound cable that is in service now, Long Island's power resources would be diversified further and the potential for retail electric competition would be greatly enhanced. Both announcements were made by Mr. Kessel at the LIPA-sponsored Long Island Energy Summit that was held today on the Brentwood Campus of Suffolk Community College. The summit was called to explore ways to make Long Island more energy independent and less reliant on oil and other fossil fuels. "Collectively, Long Island needs to make some serious decisions about its energy future," said Mr. Kessel. "LIPA has a long-term energy plan for electricity, but the island does not have a long-term energy plan that encompasses all energy sectors. We urgently need such a plan for the region's economic wellbeing and security, and LIPA is willing to help lead the effort to develop such a plan. The Energy Summit included representatives of Long Island's energy providers, political leaders business officials, environmentalists, and consumers that will ultimately lead to the development of a preliminary Energy Action Agenda that will be used to help improve long-term energy efficiencies and use on Long Island. "It would seem that achieving great energy efficiency and adding to our ability to tap into off-island supplies is a path that offers Long Island the best opportunity for a long-term solution, but all sectors of the Long Island economy must engage in the effort to get the most out of our energy supplies and the money spent on all forms of energy," said Mr. Kessel. Summit speakers included: Richard Kessel, LIPA Chairman; Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy; Robert Catell, KeySpan Chairman and CEO; Kevin Rooney, Executive Director, Oil Heat Institute; Subimal Chakraborti, Regional Director, NYS Dept. of Transportation; Lee Koppelman, Executive Director, LI Regional Planning Board; Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Gordian Raacke, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Long Island; and Neal Lewis, Executive Director, Neighborhood Network. Timothy F. Sutherland, CEO, Pace Global Energy Services, delivered the summit's keynote speech on international and nation energy trends. The preliminary Energy Action Agenda will be used to develop an islandwide consensus on ways to: stimulate greater conservation for all fuel types; get the government and private sectors working more closely to reduce overall energy use; utilize more alternative energy resources to help lessen demand for traditional fuel sources; and build greater consumer awareness of the need to use all energy types more efficiently. LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric utility, owns the retail electric system on Long Island and provides electric service to more than 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA does not own any on-island generation assets and does not provide natural gas service. ### Contact Information: Press Release 07/28/05 6:25 PM Eastern |
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