western new york may be the most strategically undervalued corridor in the country.
chemicals are emerging as a major upstream chokepoint, even beyond some critical minerals. and many of those critical inputs are dependent on byproducts of industrial processes we already run domestically.
for example, the fertilizer america's farmers desperately need right now, disrupted by Hormuz, is heavily reliant on sulfur and its derivatives. the kind that are a byproduct of oil refining, specifically sour crude. some other chokepoints are potash and the V2O5 catalyst, from vanadium. their mineral deposits are available here and in canada. we called chemistry friends from munitions to nuclear. they confirmed that domestic alternatives are achievable through targeted organic chemistry R&D.
that sulfur byproduct is typically exported. and what appears as mostly a capacity issue is also a coordination and transportation problem.
on transportation, only ~5% of US freight is transported via our inland waterways that as you can see, most of our industrial capacity surrounds. our map below is highlighting red locks that are at end of life (most of them).
western new york is especially fascinating because it is one of the few places in the country where inland waterways, the great lakes, international trade, state-owned power, hydroelectric power, nuclear power, semiconductor fabs, data centers, minerals, materials, mills, chemicals, and advanced manufacturing converge.
those red lines near western new york on our map? they're ultra-high-voltage power transmission linesโฆ.and nearly all of them in the country are concentrated there. they deliver cheap, firm, high-capacity power with minimal losses.
the champlain hudson power express is a new underground and underwater transmission line set to deliver 1,250 MW from quebec to queens, NY.
that's the kind of power you want if you're standing up mineral refineries, smelters, steel mills, and nuclear power plants.
one of our co-hosts, the New York Power Authority, has been directed by the governor to develop 5 GW of new advanced nuclear generation for new york. we'll be working through nuclear financing, supply chain, and workforce in our session.
one of our other co-hosts: โwait, you want to work on the problems that if we donโt fix, we will literally starve and die.โ
me: โyes. thatโs right.โ
well, see yโall soon in western new york!
๐ industrial base hackathon III
๐ thursday, april 30th 8:30am - 7:00pm
๐บ๏ธ lewiston, NY (western new york)
๐บ๐ธ sponsored by:ย Springboard NY, made possible by the generous support of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
๐ค hosts: Ad Astra Group, New York Power Authority (NYPA), the New American Industrial Alliance (NAIA), Jack Greco
๐ ๏ธ monthly cross-sector working sessions between senior leaders and experts solving bottlenecks across America's critical supply chains. the Canadian Consulate office will be joining this one.
โ register: link on flyer
@newindustrials
@NinaDSchick What's the next step for Texas to outdraw SF's ecosystem though? Is solving electricity enough to bring the talent, startup density, and capital?
@signulll Would love for @perplexity_ai to include this, feel like they're better positioned to capture this market anyway.. already use it for all my other questions and research. @AravSrinivas
@Kpaxs Yup. Gotta focus on being present in today's world, what you're feeling/need over easy distractions like videogames, doomscrolling, etc. Self-agency is supreme in today's world
@SahilBloom Trusting yourself, and knowing you'll be okay regardless of the outcome is liberating. Took too long to learn that you can change your environment if it isn't working for you.