Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday committed $100 million to fund energy conversion aimed at "decarbonizing" the Empire State Plaza and Capitol in Albany.

Designed to reduce the environmental impacts of the 98-acre state government complex and advance New York state's climate goals, the phased project is outlined in the Empire State Plaza Energy Infrastructure Master Plan released on Friday.  

The $100 million will be used toward the electrification of steam-driven chillers, which heat and cool the complex's 11-12 million square feet of commercial and office space, and the installation of a new heat recovery chiller. The updates, along with additional energy saving measures, are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the site by 20%, Hochul said.

The Empire State Plaza's buildings are presently heated by the Sheridan Avenue Steam Plant in Albany.

“Decarbonizing the Empire State Plaza is a significant opportunity that will allow us to couple the modernization of energy systems at New York State capital’s landmark and address decades of long-overdue maintenance," state Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy said. 

OGS is leading the project in collaboration with the New York Power Authority.

Climate and environmental advocates, along with public officials, have long called on state government to convert the Capitol complex’s carbon-based energy sources to renewable sources of energy. 

Remaining phases of the project include building renovations, according to the plan. 

“New York State is leading by example in our efforts to reduce emissions, making significant investments to decarbonize our agency buildings and operations,” Hochul said. “My administration remains committed to leading the fight against climate change and we’re aligning our investments to build a cleaner, greener New York.”