New York Is Getting a New Nuclear Plant

New York's governor has proposed the construction of the state's first new nuclear power plant in decades. Gov. Kathy Hochul has directed the state's power authority to develop an advanced, "zero-emission" facility in upstate New York that she hopes will help create a clean, reliable, and affordable electric grid for the state.

• She said Monday that the state power authority will seek to develop "at least" one new nuclear energy facility with a combined capacity of no less than one gigawatt of electricity, the AP reports. That would increase the state's total nuclear capacity to about 4.3 gigawatts.

• The Democrat said the state needs to secure its "energy independence" if it wants to continue to attract large manufacturers that create good-paying jobs as it deactivates aging fossil fuel power plants. "We're going to get it done," Hochul said, speaking at the Niagara County Power Project in Lewiston. "This historic initiative will lay the foundation for the next generation of prosperity."
• The governor said the state hasn't decided on a potential location, but that upstate communities appear receptive, given the potential for creating 1,600 construction jobs and 1,200 permanent jobs once the facility is operational. "Everybody is raising their hand right now," Hochul said. "It's going to be hard to decide."
• Hochul promised that safety would be "at the forefront" of planning, the New York Times reports. "This is not your grandparents' nuclear reactor. You're not going to see this in a movie starring Jane Fonda," she said, referring to 1979's China Syndrome.

• New York currently has three active nuclear plants, all located upstate along Lake Ontario and owned by Constellation. The Nine Mile Point, Robert Emmett Ginna, and James A. FitzPatrick plants provide about 3.3 gigawatts of power, or roughly 20% of the state's electricity, according to Hochul's office.
• The last nuclear power plant built in the state was Unit 2 at Nine Mile Point in 1989. At its peak, nuclear power provided about 5.4 gigawatts, or roughly one-third of the state's electrical supply, according to the advocacy group Nuclear New York.

(More nuclear power stories.)