FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 22, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 21
DOC names new chief of department at time of upheaval on Rikers Island
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e city Department of Correction has
reshuffl ed its leadership at a time of great
upheaval is underway on Rikers Island.
DOC Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi
promoted Kenneth Stukes to the position
of chief of department. With the promotion,
State approves plan for Astoria clean energy hub
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
New York state energy regulators gave
the green light to Con Edison and partner
174 Power Global to construct a large
battery system in Astoria at the site of the
old Charles Poletti fossil fuel plant near
the East River.
Th e approval granted by the state Public
Service Commission is an important step
in the development of the East River
Storage System, which will be able to store
and discharge 100 megawatts, or 100 million
watts, of electricity — enough to run
100,000 hair dryers or as many as 1 million
desktop computers. Th e system will
be able to store enough electricity to
power One World Trade for about a day.
“Battery storage is essential to our quest
to create a clean energy future and prevail
against climate change,” said Leonard
Singh, senior vice president of Customer
Energy Solutions at Con Edison. “Bulk
storage will let us bring large amounts of
renewable energy to our customers without
compromising our industry-leading reliability,
even as fossil fuel generators in New
York City are shuttered into retirement.”
Batteries make it possible to store energy
created by renewable resources and
provide that energy to customers when
they need it. Utility-scale battery storage
will grow in importance with the planned
addition of large amounts of renewable
energy in New York state, including 9,000
megawatts from off shore wind turbines.
Battery technology is an important
part of the city and state’s environmental
plans, which Con Edison supports. Con
Edison seeks to off er customers 100 percent
clean power by 2040, an achievement
that would mean a dramatic improvement
in air quality and public health.
174 Power Global, which specializes in
renewable energy projects, will build the
battery system by the end of 2011 and
own it.
“Energy storage technology has
emerged as an essential component of
the energy landscape and the proliferation
of energy storage projects in New
York is critical to meeting the state’s ambitious
climate change goals,” 174 Power
Global President and CEO Henry Yun
said. “We’re pleased to receive approval
from the PSC and are one step closer
to bringing clean power, as well as other
regional electricity and economic benefi
ts, to the Astoria community and state.”
Th e batteries will draw power from
the grid at times when the demand for
power is low and less expensive. Th ey
will discharge that power at times when
the demand for power is high, decreasing
the need for power from fossil
fuel-fi red plants.
Th e companies have a seven-year contract
under which Con Edison will bid
power from the battery system into the
state’ wholesale market. At the end of the
contract, 174 Power Global will dispatch
the power into the state’s bulk power
transmission system.
“Th e PSC’s approval of this adaptive
reuse project on NYPA’s site in Astoria is
a big win for New York state and specifi -
cally the Queens community, and demonstrates
an important step towards achieving
our ambitious clean energy goals,” Gil
C. Quinnes, NYPA president and CEO,
said. “Large-scale battery storage provides
the opportunity for greater fl exibility and
resilience of the electric grid and will support
the growth of renewable energy for
decades to come.”
Th e batteries will connect to a nearby
Con Edison substation. Th e batteries will
be in containers and produce no emissions
and little noise at the industrial site.
the former chief of security becomes
the highest-ranking uniformed offi cer at
the agency.
“Chief Stukes is a dedicated public
servant who has used every day of his
30-year career to make DOC facilities
safer,” Schiraldi said. “As chief of department,
Chief Stukes will continue to lead
this agency with compassion, fairness
and, most of all, integrity. I am thankful to
have his partnership as we work to make
city jails safer and more humane spaces.”
Stukes joined the DOC in 1987 and rose
steadily through the ranks to be promoted
to assistant chief of security in 2015 before
being named assistant chief in 2016. He
served as bureau chief of security before
being appointed acting chief of department
in July, just as an exodus of dozens
of overworked correction offi cers began
to leave for jobs in the NYPD and
the closure of the prison complex on
Rikers Island began to move forward.
“I am honored by this promotion,”
Stukes said. “I know that this will
be challenging, but I am eager to play
a role in making historic changes at
DOC. I want to thank Commissioner
Schiraldi for his trust and belief in me. I
want to thank my colleagues and all staff
who have supported and encouraged me
throughout the years.”
Stukes was elevated aft er Hazel Jennings
retired as chief of department on July
2 aft er her own 30-year career at
the DOC. Jennings received
a DOC Meritorious Duty
award for her leadership
when a three-alarm fi re
broke out on the roof of the
George Motchan Detention
Center on Rikers Island in
2011. As assistant deputy
warden, Jennings ensured
that the 241 people in
custody and every staff
member in the building
were safely and
securely evacuated.
During his Monday
morning briefi ng on
July 12, Mayor Bill
de Blasio said the
DOC is facing
“real issues” and
low morale during
this time of
transition.
“Look, it’s a tough
job and it’s been a
tough time for the correction
department,
and we’ve really
tried to
address a
number
o f
the concerns that offi cers have,” de Blasio
said. “Very good news has been that we’ve
been able to close down yet another building
at Rikers and therefore not need as
many offi cers to cover the inmates we
have and also the court system fi nally
coming back to life more. Th ere’s real
issues to address and we’ll keep addressing
them for sure.”
Th e DOC announced on July 9 that
the James A. Th ompson Center has been
transferred to the department of citywide
administrative services in what is the fi rst
step toward closing the notorious jail
complex, which was mandated by the City
Council’s Renewable Rikers Act.
“For too long, Rikers Island has caused
our city pain and heartbreak,” Councilman
Daniel Dromm said. “Former Council
member Costa Constantinides has given
us a plan to begin closing Rikers and
using the land for a purpose that will
benefi t all New Yorkers for generations
to come. It is time to begin implementing
that plan as quickly as possible. I am
excited to work with my colleagues and
the administration to fi nally begin righting
the wrongs that have been committed
for so many decades. I look forward to the
day when there is no jail on Rikers.”
Courtesy of DOC
The Department of Correction announced Kenneth Stukes has been
promoted to Chief of Department.
Photo by Willie Davis/Con Edison
State regulators approved a Con Edison plan to build a large battery storage project in Astoria like this one in Ozone Park.
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