Pittsburgh officials advance plan for new steam heating system

For more than a century, many of Pittsburgh’s office buildings in the Golden Triangle have been kept warm using steam heat generated at a North Shore factory that is conveyed Downtown.

But the Pittsburgh Allegheny County Thermal (PACT) system is old, failing and beyond repair, Mayor Bill Peduto said last year.

A fix is in the works through an agreement the city inked last week with Clearway Community Energy, another North Side-based provider that’s a subsidiary of Clearway Energy Group, a San Francisco-based provider.

The letter of intent signed by the city will allow for plans to transition from the PACT system to a new one managed by Clearway, the city said.

It’s the another step forward after years of planning to find a cost-effective solution for the heating needs of the City-County Building.

PACT operations manager Tim O’Brien called the agreement a “long-term development opportunity” that’s been works for several years.

“This has been a long process of development,” O’Brien said.

PACT has been in the business of providing steam heat to government and private buildings in the Golden Triangle for nearly 40 years.

It took over the system that was once a subsidiary of Duquesne Light, but it’s a customer-owned nonprofit that’s been dealing with rising costs and aging infrastructure for years. In 2013, Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner released an audit that claimed PACT overcharged customers and wasted money.

The city and PACT have been working with Clearway on a new system that would meet the city’s heating needs and fit in with its commitment to advancing its climate objectives.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Clearway team to prepare an energy services agreement to send to city council,” Peduto said. “We recognize Clearway’s commitment to our community and feel confident about a smooth transition to their system. Most importantly, we are proud to be able to continue energy service that is both economical and environmentally-friendly.”

Clearways North Side and Uptown energy districts deliver heat to buildings on the North Side including PNC Park, Allegheny General Hospital and Carnegie Science Center.