ZELIENOPLE — The borough may be receiving electricity from a greener source in the future.

Borough council Monday voted to send a letter to the New York Power Authority asking for costs on receiving power from hydroelectricity provided by the St. Lawrence River.

“Having another power source, a green power source, is kind of attractive,” said borough manager Don Pepe. “I highly recommend doing this.”

The hydropower from the St. Lawrence River would be used as a reserve rather than the borough’s primary power source.

However, the borough also could sell power for renewable energy credits.

“Even if you don’t use it, you can get your benefit from energy credits,” Pepe said. “Those are very valuable.”

The NYPA is a project of the Harrisburg-based Allegheny Electric Cooperative. The cooperative sent the borough a letter inquiring the borough’s interest in having power from the NYPA allocated to Zelienople.

About 70 percent of the power the NYPA produces comes from hydropower.

“Hydropower has been around longer on a wider scale. As such, the infrastructure for hydropower is more established and can currently be delivered more inexpensively as a result,” NYPA media relations manager Steven Gosset said.

Other communities in Western Pennsylvania receiving hydroelectric power from the St. Lawrence include Grove City, Ellwood City and Girard.

The borough’s contract with Allegheny Municipal Power is up in 2016. If the borough signs with NYPA, power would be received in 2017.

Pepe said whether or not the borough decides on the new power source depends on costs, which will be determined by 2016.