Two electric generating stations on six power barges, floating along the shoreline of Gowanus and Sunset Park, are looking to be replaced and updated by 2024.
Collectively they provide enough energy between one and 1.5 million residential customers in Brooklyn. The barges continued operating during Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and were only offline for two hours, due personnel evacuations, according to John Reese from Astoria Generating Company (AGC). They have been the first units back on line to restore power during blackouts.
Four of the six barges burn natural gas as their primary fuel and, as required, have ultra low sulfur diesel as a back-up fuel. The remaining two power barges burn only ultra-low sulfur diesel.