The governor announced that the Freedom Tower, World Trade Center Office Towers 2, 3, and 4, as well as the World Trade Center Memorial and Memorial Museum will all be designed to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification requirements. In addition all of the facilities involved will be built to a design standard that is 20 percent more efficient than the New York Energy Conservation Construction Code.

The governor also announced an agreement with Silverstein Properties that calls for the Freedom Tower and each of the World Trade Center Office Towers to utilize fuel cell technology to increase efficiency and provide secure, clean, on-site power generation. These fuel cell installations, totaling 4.8 MW of power generation, will together constitute one of the largest fuel cell installations in the world.

The agreement also provides that the Port Authority and Silverstein Properties will purchase renewable energy for the remainder of the base building electricity requirements that are not provided by the fuel cell systems. Finally, the governor announced that the efficient design measures would substantially reduce the state's use of Hudson River water for cooling, and allow for an over 80 percent reduction in the number of aquatic organisms that are taken in from the Hudson River as compared to the cooling systems that existed prior to Sept. 11, 2001.

"The redevelopment will be a global example of green building design and a constant reminder of our commitment to break the cycle of dependence on foreign energy," said Pataki. "By moving forward with state-of-the-art design and guidelines, New York will once again show the world our ingenuity, innovation, and commitment to building a stronger, brighter future for all."

Publication date: 09/18/2006