Commission Approves Two Thermal Energy Network Plans

New York regulators approved two utility thermal energy network projects in Haverstraw and Buffalo while rejecting nine others.

Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Utilities

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a shallow trench with a looped blue-gray insulated pipe beside a low brick foundation, in muted earthy tones. — The New York Public Service Commission approved two utility thermal energy network projects in Haverstraw and Buffalo in October while rejecting nine others, with a combined cost of $111.5 million. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The New York Public Service Commission approved two utility thermal energy network plans in October, expected to cost a combined $111.5 million. The commission rejected nine other projects, including several in New York City.

Why it matters

Thermal energy networks circulate water or other fluids through wells and pipes to capture ambient ground temperatures and waste heat, improving the efficiency of electric heat pumps. UpgradeNY says that using heat pumps and tapping waste heat sources could reduce the region's dependence on fossil fuels.

The approved Haverstraw project receives a $50 million Public Service Commission investment within a $150 million commitment to thermal energy networks, against a combined $111.5 million cost for the two approved plans. The stub does not detail how the financing will be structured across both projects beyond ensuring costs are not shifted to consumers.

The players

New York Public Service Commission

The state regulator that oversees utilities and approved the two thermal energy network plans while rejecting nine others.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The agency that operates New York City's subway and bus system and announced the feasibility study for the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station.

The details

Under the approved plans, the Haverstraw network would connect up to 30 structures and is funded in part by the Public Service Commission. Separately, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced an $800,000 feasibility study in August for a subway thermal network at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station complex, where summer 2025 platform temperatures averaged 35.6°C.

Summer 2025: Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall platform temperatures recorded at 35.6°C.
August: MTA announced an $800,000 subway thermal network feasibility study.
October: Public Service Commission approved two thermal energy network plans.

Roadmap

The approvals extend New York's $150 million commitment to thermal energy networks into two concrete projects, while the commission's rejection of nine others shows the state is selecting among proposals rather than funding all of them. Massachusetts has developed a utility thermal energy network project serving about 140 customers, offering a comparison point for the New York projects.

For New York ratepayers, the commission approvals are structured so costs are not shifted to consumers, though the stub does not specify how that will apply to bills. The Haverstraw and Buffalo projects will affect only the communities they serve in the near term.

The takeaway

Thermal energy networks offer a way to use ground temperatures and waste heat to make electric heat pumps more efficient, and New York's selective approvals show regulators are choosing which projects to fund. Watch how the rejected proposals are revised in future filings.