NYPA was granted authority to work with the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to establish the Renewable Energy Access and Community Help (REACH) program to provide renewable energy bill credits to low-income New Yorkers.

It will help support disadvantaged communities by enabling low-and moderate-income electricity consumers to receive bill credits through the production of renewable energy products developed by or for NYPA and other funding sources, such as voluntary contributions from third parties.

More specifically, under REACH, NYPA, either alone or with partners, will develop a portfolio of renewable energy generation projects and distribute a portion of the revenue from these projects to the state’s investor-owned utilities. The utilities will use these funds to generate bill credits for middle- and/or low-income energy consumers in disadvantaged communities.

In January 2024, NYPA filed a petition with the PSC to begin the process of establishing the REACH program. 

In October 2024, the PSC issued an order approving NYPA's petition and established a regulatory framework to allow electric utilities to receive funds from the Power Authority to credit the electric bills of low-income ratepayers in disadvantaged communities.

In January 2025, NYPA entered into program implementation agreements with the state’s investor-owned utilities in accordance with the PSC’s order, including arrangements to fund REACH bill credits as project revenues become available.

On May 14, 2025, NYPA issued a Request for Information asking industry developers, storage companies, and other collaborators for their interest in contributing to NYPA’s REACH Program. The RFI seeks to understand if renewable energy developers are interested in entering into voluntary contribution agreements with NYPA to support the REACH effort to satisfy renewable energy certificate or storage credit agreements. The REACH RFI can be found here, and the draft Voluntary Contribution Agreement can be found here.

Read the NYPA Report on Feasibility and Advisability of REACH-like program for Municipal and Rural Cooperative Utilities here. 

If you have questions or would like more information, email us at REACH.nypa.gov.