City and state officials are harnessing the energy of the subway.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA are partnering to study whether excess heat from subway stations can be captured and reused to heat nearby municipal buildings during the winter.
The Thermal Energy Network study will focus on the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall 4, 5 and 6 station, and the Chambers Street J, Z station.
The project will explore ways to combat extreme heat on subway platforms while capturing and recycling excess heat for use in nearby buildings.
“There are few feelings worse than escaping the extreme summer heat only to find yourself on a subway platform that is even hotter. Unfortunately, for millions of commuters that is the reality of our transit system — with some stations soaring up to 20 degrees hotter than the outside temperatures,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“We now have an opportunity to do more than rebuild Chambers Street top to bottom. We can make our subway platforms cooler and more comfortable while putting wasted heat to work during the winter. That means lower energy costs, a more resilient subway system and a cleaner energy future for New York City,” he added.
The project would be the first thermal energy network installed in a U.S. transit system, according to city officials. The announcement comes days after the city announced plans to revitalize Chambers Street station.
Thermal energy networks are already in use at several hospitals and universities to move heat between buildings and can reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The MTA and city will assess the feasibility of using radiant cooling technology, which would allow heat to be transferred through pipes to geothermal boreholes and used during colder months to heat nearby municipal buildings.
Pending confirmation of geothermal feasibility, design work will begin in early 2027, according to a press release.