A pair of state lawmakers want NYPA, NYSERDA and the state Public Service Commission to study the closure of “peaker” power plants in Brooklyn, Brentwood and Astoria.

Peaker plants are power plants that run only during times of peak demand for the power grid – typically during heat waves or extreme cold in the winter. Environmentalists have criticized the state for keeping peaker plants online past their planned closure, while the state Independent System Operator has pushed to keep peaker plants operating over the past few years because of forecast power shortfalls, particularly in New York City.

The short-term shortfalls have been resolved, but ISO officials have pushed to keep peaker plants available until after the planned completion of the Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line that will bring electricity from Canada to New York City. “CHPE is expected to enter service in the spring of 2026 and, as the STAR report and other NYISO planning reports have highlighted, delays in that project could prolong the need to retain the peaker plants,” the ISO’s 2025 Power Trends report states.

State Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, D-Brooklyn, and state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, D-New York City, are pushing for the closure of the peaker plants, starting with a study by NYSERDA, the state Public Service Commission and the New York Power Authority. The study bill (A.9003/S.7923A) could be on the legislative agenda when the 2026 legislative session begins in January and comes after environmental advocates called on Gov. Kathy Hochul, Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian, Department of Environmental Commission Commissioner Amanda Lefton, and New York State Research and Development Authority President Doreen Harris to push for and prioritize systemic reforms that will accelerate the transition to affordable, reliable, renewable energy. That includes any reliance on fossil fuel plants like the peaker plants.

“The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and Scoping Plan require all fossil fuel power plants throughout the state to be decommissioned by 2050,” Gonzalez and Gallagher wrote in their legislative justification. “The proposed study is crucial for enabling a fair and sustainable transition from fossil fuel-based peaker plants to a cleaner and more resilient energy infrastructure in northern Brooklyn. Peaker plants are high-emission facilities that operate infrequently but produce significant environmental and health burdens due to their reliance on coal, oil, diesel, or natural gas. These plants are often situated in or near disadvantaged communities-areas that are already disproportionately affected by cumulative pollution and other environmental hazards. The ongoing operation of these plants undermines public health, perpetuates environmental injustice, and contributes to climate change.”

The New York City lawmakers want the study to include the change in electricity wholesale prices, delivery rates, and total bills that energy consumers in this state will pay, including indirect energy costs, identify other energy plants that can compensate for the plant’s share of the energy grid; the impact of renewable energy systems on the reliabilities of the electric system in the state including how to maintain reliability when solar and wind resources are not generating requisite power; and propose a strategy to replace the plant with renewable energy systems and energy systems that would maintain reliable energy output during the transition period.

“While closing these facilities poses challenges, it also presents opportunities,” Gonzalez and Gallagher wrote. It is essential to evaluate how such closures impact electricity prices, grid reliability, and service continuity-particularly during peak demand periods when Peaker plants are most frequently utilized. Especially during peak demand periods when Peaker plants are most often deployed.”