Hochul announces $68M investment to support UB decarbonization project

UB’s clean energy master plan received a major boost with the announcement Wednesday that New York State will provide the university with $68 million to decarbonize the central utility plant, create energy hubs and thermal energy networks, and build geothermal wells as part of a campus-wide effort to phase out fossil fuel-based systems and replace them with on-site electrical systems.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the funding while participating in the U.S. Climate Alliance’s roundtable. The funding is part of Hochul’s landmark $1 billion Sustainable Future Program to accelerate capital projects in New York’s transition to a cleaner, greener future.

“New York is a national leader in climate action, and we’re proving that we can build a thriving green economy while protecting our planet,” Hochul said. “While others may retreat, we are doubling down. The $1 billion investment from our Sustainable Future Program will directly benefit New Yorkers by making our homes more energy-efficient, our schools healthier and our communities more resilient. We are creating jobs, improving public health and ensuring a just and affordable transition for every community.”

Hochul announced $12 million in state funding in February to support the installation of a thermal energy network on UB’s South Campus, bringing the state’s investment in advancing the university’s clean energy master plans this year to $80 million.

Over the past several years, UB has undertaken a comprehensive review of its entire built environment infrastructure — comprised of 12 million gross square feet and some 200 buildings — to assess the most efficient and economically viable way in which to phase out fossil fuels, a process known as decarbonization.

“With Gov. Hochul’s leadership, UB is excited to advance the next chapter in our journey to achieve climate neutrality and decarbonize our campuses,” says Laura Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration, adding that transforming UB’s heating and cooling systems represents the most complex and costly steps in this process. “Today’s announcement is a critical boost to UB’s carbon-neutrality efforts and ensures that we are on the fast track to making significant change in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. We thank Gov. Hochul for investing in UB’s clean energy future.”

“This initiative is strategically timed to align with the North Campus capital revitalization plan — a nearly $2 billion effort to address 50 years of deferred maintenance through comprehensive renovations and the construction of cutting-edge facilities,” adds Tonga Pham, associate vice president, University Facilities.

In fall 2023, UB completed its South Campus Clean Energy Master Plan, which advances a detailed blueprint of how 67 buildings will be adapted, the thermal network that will be created and the funding and training needed to make it happen.

The plan would replace the natural gas-fired heating facility on the South Campus, which is the highest source of greenhouse gas emissions on that campus, with an integrated district thermal energy network.

Implementation of this plan is already taking place with full renovations of both Crosby and Foster halls, transforming them into state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities with no scope 1 or 2 carbon emissions. In addition, $6 million of the $68 million investment will leverage the $12 million investment from February to advance work on the South Campus Parker energy hub and geothermal well.

UB is nearly finished with a Clean Energy Master Plan for the much larger North Campus and expects to finalize it later this year. The $62 million from the state will advance the first key step in this plan: transforming the campus’ central utility plant, the Baker Chilled Water Plant, and associated infrastructure to utilize clean energy sources, enabling a 30% reduction in the North Campus’ carbon footprint.

It will also establish the backbone of a new thermal energy network that will deliver clean heating and cooling to several buildings on campus. In addition, the initiative will capture the heat being generated by the Empire AI supercomputing center at UB. The state funding will also support installation of heat recovery pumps, geothermal wellfields and two-pipe condensed water infrastructure linking the Empire AI data center and the Baker plant.

“This work is a team sport and we are immensely grateful for the work our campus community and leadership have made to advance our decarbonization efforts. We also are thankful to Wendel Companies, SUNY, the New York Power Authority, the Upgrade Coalition and our other partners,” says Ryan McPherson, UB’s chief sustainability officer.”