The facility in Greenpoint uses 145-foot-tall metallic eggs that "digest" much of New York City's organic waste.
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Those eggs are the centerpiece of the $70 million renewable energy facility unveiled Wednesday by city leaders and National Grid.
"This is part and parcel of achieving a true circular economy for New York City and a comprehensive integrated approach to deal with our energy challenges," said New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala.
The eggs take organic waste and ultimately produce methane gas that National Grid injects into its distribution system. Previously, that gas was burned off, letting its value drift away into the Brooklyn atmosphere.
The eggs aren't the most visually appealing spectacle, but they do rekindle memories of Greenpoint's natural gas tanks that came down in a dramatic implosion back in 2001.
Vault: Iconic Greenpoint Gas Tanks imploded in 2001
"This is a blue-collar community," Greenpoint resident Christine Holowacz said. "It used to be a community of immigrants who didn't vote. And all of this bad stuff that you see here has been brought up because of that."
National Grid invested $70 million into the clean energy project, which was scheduled for completion 10 years ago, but the coronavirus pandemic led to supply-chain problems and construction delays. And that's not all.
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"Anytime you're doing anything that is the first of its kind in a densely populated urban environment, there are complexities," said Ross Turrini of National Grid. "We had a lot of those complexities on this project."
The long-delayed project generated scores of 'green' construction jobs at a facility that serves as the home office for about 100 city employees.
Best of all, the environmental benefits of an operation that produces renewable energy, reduces the waste sent to landfills and improves our air quality.
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