Billows of dark smoke draw attention, curiosity and concern from residents

If you’ve been in the vicinity of the LIPA facility this past week, you may have noticed dark smoke coming from one of the stacks. There have been reports from residents that the plume was heavy and black, with photos being posted to social media, then shared throughout the community.

When the Journal reached out to LIPA and National Grid yesterday for comment on the cause of the darker-than-usual smoke, and frequency of reports, National Grid’s Lead Media Representative Wendy Frigeria wrote:

“On Tuesday, there was an unexpected electrical fault at one of the units at the Northport Power Station. The unit was automatically removed from service. That resulted in a smoke condition that was alleviated using a series of damper adjustments. The power station utilizes natural gas as its primary fuel source, with fuel oil backup which is implemented as directed by the Transmission Operator. The unit has been repaired and it will be returned to service tonight [Wednesday].”

Ms. Frigeria said that the electrical fault and rapid shutdown is “not indicative of normal operations.” She indicated that the plant was using natural gas at the time the fault occurred, and that the smoke was a result of the rapid shutdown of the unit.

The unit shutdown on Tuesday would not explain the dark smoke seen by some residents on Saturday morning, however; some commenters on social media speculated the smoke may have been caused by burning oil, which produces more debris than natural gas. There are also reports of recent and regular oil deliveries to the Northport LIPA facility. But smoke this dark is not common, even when the unit is on oil, according to a source familiar with the power plant.

Ms. Frigeria reiterated that the unit was not on oil during Tuesday’s short and subsequent shutdown, and referred to the issue as an “isolated incident.”