North Shore University Hospital gets permit to generate power

North Shore University Hospital will be able to generate its own power under legislation approved by the Town of North Hempstead.

The town board amended its zoning code on Tuesday night to permit a power generation plant in a hospital district.

Susan Somerville, executive director of the hospital, said the plant would support the hospital’s expansion and new surgery pavilion, which will increase the need for power.

Somerville added that it would be more efficient to manage its own power production for the whole campus on Community Drive. “We really have a big focus ... in the area of being green and reducing the carbon footprint,” she said.

In June, the town approved the hospital’s plans to increase its surgical pavilion and consolidate a central sterile supply area.

The surgery pavilion will add 220,000 square feet to the tower building on the western side of campus, hospital officials said. It will have 25 operating suites — including some nearly 1,000 square feet in size — and a 44-bed critical care unit.

Somerville said the date for construction to begin was still under discussion.