Just Transition: Sunset Park
Site Reuse Plans for the Gowanus and Narrows Power Plants
UPROSE and the office of the Brooklyn Borough President are exploring new visions for the Gowanus and Narrows Peaker Power Plant sites. We want to hear from you about how these sites can support the Sunset Park community’s vision for a green, resilient industrial district.
The Gowanus and Narrows Power Plants are both located on the East River waterfront in Sunset Park. Each of the power plants burns Number 2 diesel fuel to deliver electricity during peak demand times to ensure there are no outages. The Just Transition Site Reuse Projects are not specific decommissioning plans for existing power plants. Rather, they give the community an opportunity to guide the creation of alternative uses for the sites once they do close in order to achieve community priorities for a clean energy transition, workforce development, and environmental justice.
The site reuse studies for the Gowanus and Narrows sites look to achieve the following goals:
· Advance goals of UPROSE’s Green Resilient Industrial District (GRID) Plan 2.0.
· Assess the existing conditions on the two sites and their impacts on the surrounding community.
· Conduct a community-centered economic analysis to guide potential future uses of the sites.
· Build on the foundation of recent community planning efforts, while also gathering new input about site reuse options.
· Develop conceptual plans for potential site reuse alternatives that support priorities of the GRID Plan 2.0.
The Gowanus and Narrows Site Reuse Plans are community-driven efforts to reimagine the two peaker power plant sites in Sunset Park. Your feedback is critical to ensure that the community’s priorities are at the forefront of the planning process.
· Check back here for more information about upcoming community events.
· Join us in early 2026 for a Community Briefing about the program (details to be determined).
· Look for UPROSE at community fairs in summer of 2026 to learn more.
· Attend a public workshop in fall of 2026 to learn about next steps.
Sign up here to get email updates about the Just Transition program, as well as other UPROSE events and programs.
Sign up here to get email updates about Borough President Reynoso’s events and programs.
Funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Just Transition Site Reuse Planning Program provides communities with planning and technical support to support a transition to a green economy. Through this program, communities can explore potential site reuse options for fossil fuel burning power plants. For more information on the Just Transition Program, visit NYSERDA’s website athttps://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Just-Transition-Site-Reuse-Planning-Program.
This program provides communities with resources to plan for the potential future closure of power plants. This includes supporting activities associated with site reuse planning to help communities thrive as we move toward a clean energy economy. UPROSE is working with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, NYSERDA, and Ramboll to create alternative reuse plans for the Gowanus and Narrows peaker power plants. The planning process began in October 2025 and is expected to be completed in September 2026.
Peaker plants are power plants that typically only run during periods of high energy demand, such as hot summer days. Although they do not operate throughout the year, they can have a disproportionate impact on surrounding communities because they run on high-emissions fuels, such as diesel. UPROSE is a member of the PEAK Coalition, which works to end the use of peaker plants in New York City.
Click here to learn more about the PEAK Coalition: https://www.peakcoalition.org/
Check back here to review draft project materials.
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