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NY Region Needs New Generating Plants, Too

Feb. 7, 2014
To address the Hudson Valley’s formidable near- and longer-term electricity challenges, it is not enough to simply bank on new and improved transmission lines bringing power from upstate New York downstate to address cost and reliability challenges.

To address the Hudson Valley’s formidable near- and longer-term electricity challenges, it is not enough to simply bank on new and improved transmission lines bringing power from upstate New York downstate to address cost and reliability challenges. Transmission projects are extremely expensive and controversial. They take years to build and face intense community opposition and lawsuits.

It is essential that the region also have more electric generating plants, in order to meet both current and future demand. Electricity use will rise as there is economic recovery, greater demand due to more electronic devices and even a shift to electric-powered vehicles.

The New York Independent System Operator, the nonprofit operator of the state’s electric grid which handles the numerous engineering and technical challenges 24/7 to keep the lights on, recognizes this important reality. Through careful and rigorous assessment they have proposed a revised market structure to better attract long-term, capital-intensive investment in power plants.

NYISO’s request for a new downstate capacity zone to better reflect the need for this power, keep the grid reliably functioning and attract long-term investments in power plants and related infrastructure has the well-deserved support of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It is a necessary and important step to ensure the area’s economic infrastructure remains strong.

About the Author

Matthew Cordaro, PhD | Trustee at Long Island Power Authority

Dr. Matthew C. Cordaro, whose career spans many years as a senior executive in the utility industry, an educator, scientist and researcher in the fields of business, energy and environment, most recently was the Dean of the Townsend School of Business at Dowling College. Before moving over to Dowling he was at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in the College of Management where over his tenure he served in a number of high level administrative, academic and research positions. Dr. Cordaro has served as the Chairman of the Suffolk County Legislature’s Utility Oversight Committee and recently was appointed by the New York State Assembly Leader to the Long Island Power Authority’s Board of Trustees.  

Just prior to joining Long Island University Dr. Cordaro served as the first President and Chief Executive Officer of the Midwest Independent System Operator (Midwest ISO) based in Indianapolis, Indiana, the largest independent transmission system operator in the nation. Today the Midwest ISO is responsible for electric reliability and markets covering 57,000 miles of transmission lines and 150,000 Megawatts of electric generation and clears over 23 billion dollars in energy transactions, over an area exceeding 200,000 square miles, and extending into 13 states and one province of Canada.

Previously, Dr. Cordaro was employed as President and Chief Executive Officer of Nashville Electric Service, one of the ten largest public electric utilities in the nation.  He also previously served as President of Long Lake Cogeneration Corporation and as Senior Vice President of Long Lake Energy Corporation, a major alternative energy  producer.  For 22 years he was with Long Island Lighting Company, a major investor-owned utility, finally holding the position of Senior Vice President of Operations, Engineering, and Construction.

Dr. Cordaro is currently a member of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance’s advisory board. He is a past member of the board of directors of the Electric Power Research Institute, the American Public Power Association, and the Nature Conservancy of Tennessee, and has served on the editorial advisory boards of World Transmission and Distribution magazine and the Long Island Business News. Dr. Cordaro has also testified many times before congressional and state legislative committees and is frequently sought by the media for expert commentary.

Dr. Cordaro holds a Ph.D. in Physics and Engineering from Cooper Union, an M.E. in Nuclear Engineering from New York University, a B.S. in Engineering Science from C. W. Post College and completed the Executive Management Program at the University of Michigan.  He has also been an Atomic Energy Commission Fellow, a Guest Research Associate at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at Polytechnic Institute of New York and C. W. Post College.  Dr. Cordaro has also authored many publications on education, business, energy, environment and utility issues.

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