NYPA to open new visitor center in Utica on Monday

UTICA, N.Y. — The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has announced its newly constructed NY Energy Zone visitor center in Utica.

It’s an admission-free facility that provides an “immersive, interactive, state-of-the-art museum experience” focused on the past, present and future of energy in New York State, NYPA contends in a release.

Beginning Monday, the facility will be open for small guided tours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, following New York State indoor family-entertainment center guidelines for COVID.

The 15,000-square-foot facility includes exhibits that simulate flying a drone to check power transmission lines, controlling electricity on a model energy grid, operating a simulated power plant, and building a table-top micro power grid, along with other activities designed to teach visitors about energy and electricity in New York.

Visitors can also see “Imagination!” — the first movie of its kind utilizing 3-D MAGI film generation by famed cinematographer and director Douglas Trumbull. He is known for his visual-effects photography in the films 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Blade Runner (1982). The 3-D movie seeks to inform viewers about Nikola Tesla and his “lasting contributions” to the electricity system of today.

NYPA has added a reservation system that allows for scheduling limited, 60-minute guided tours. To reserve a tour, you can also call (315) 792-8720 or email EnergyZone@nypa.gov.

The visitors center, which is affiliated with the Power Authority’s Frederick R. Clark Energy Center — the hub of its statewide power transmission control center located in Marcy — was dedicated to former NYPA Chairman John Dyson at a naming ceremony held April 23.