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MTA and Mayor Mamdani explore geothermal tech to warm city buildings
The plan would capture heat via bore holes 500 to 600 feet underground and then transfer it to commercial and residential buildings above stations to reduce winter heating energy.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are considering high-tech options to move heat out of subway stations and into buildings above ground, aiming to make platform waits more comfortable while cutting energy use in nearby properties, Commercial Observer reports.
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said officials are looking into innovative energy networks called TENs, as well as geothermal approaches that can capture, store, and transfer “excessive heat” from stations for winter building heating.
Lieber noted the concept has not been used in coordination with a transit system before, though New York City buildings including St. Patrick’s Cathedral and 555 Greenwich Street already draw heat from below ground through geothermal technology.
City officials said the effort could face complexity across city, state, and private stakeholders, and Mamdani suggested it could also be expanded to harvest heat from sources like grocery store refrigerators and small data centers, while ruling out cooling stations through air conditioning, according to Commercial Observer.