Alpha Generation Services on April 16 announced that it has formally withdrawn its previously submitted Notices of Intent to Retire the Gowanus and Narrows Generating Stations in Brooklyn, New York.
The withdrawal reflects updated market conditions and findings by the New York Independent System Operator that continued operation of these facilities is necessary to address ongoing reliability needs in New York City through at least May 1, 2029, it said.
The Gowanus Generating Station is a 260 MW floating power station located on Gowanus Bay in Brooklyn along the east side of the Upper New York Bay. The Narrows Generating Station is a 322 MW floating power station located in Brooklyn along the east side of Upper New York Bay.
In June 2025, AlphaGen submitted retirement notices for the Gowanus and Narrows facilities, pursuant to a Peaker Rule and the NYISO operating period previously identified as the timeframe during which the facilities were needed for reliability.
Since that time, market conditions have evolved and the NYISO has completed additional reliability assessments.
In its Short-Term Reliability Process Report issued April 15, the NYISO determined that continued operation of the Gowanus and Narrows units through May 1, 2029, is required to maintain reliable electric service in NYISO Zone J.
"These units continue to play a critical role in maintaining grid reliability in New York City," said Curt Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of AlphaGen. "Given updated market conditions and the NYISO's reliability determinations, we believe it is prudent and appropriate to continue operating Gowanus and Narrows on a merchant basis."
The Gowanus and Narrows facilities provide fast starting, dual fuel, dispatchable capacity in a highly constrained portion of the New York City grid and have demonstrated their operational value during periods of peak demand and system stress, the company said. "Their continued availability provides important reliability assurance as the region navigates load growth, infrastructure transitions, and uncertainty around the timing of replacement resources," AlphaGen said.
According to the NYISO's Short-Term Reliability Process Report, "the continued safe operation of New York's electric grid depends on replacing an aging fossil generation fleet that is approaching the limits of its useful life."
NYISO further states that repowering solutions, such as the Gowanus repowering proposed by AlphaGen, would be critical to achieving reliability beyond the short-term horizon, and "the NYISO encourages entities to work together to establish the pathway for these types of resources to interconnect and supply power to the grid."
Looking ahead, AlphaGen said ir believes the Gowanus and Narrows sites "represent significant long term value beyond their current operating configuration, offering unique opportunities for future investment, including potential repowering with modern, lower emitting generation technologies and integration with utility scale battery energy storage."
AlphaGen expects the existing facilities will be needed for reliability until a longer term solution at these sites becomes operational. "These long-term options would then further extend the useful life of these facilities, materially improve emissions performance, and support system reliability well beyond the current planning horizon," it said.
"The decision to withdraw the retirement notices reinforces the strategic importance of these assets," Morgan added. "Gowanus and Narrows occupy irreplaceable locations on the New York City grid, and we see substantial optionality in how they can continue to serve reliability needs in the years ahead."
AlphaGen said it remains focused on operating its New York City fleet safely and reliably and on positioning these strategically located assets to meet the evolving needs of the electric system.
