Hochul Says New York Will Build New Nuclear Power Plant

LEWISTON, N.Y. — It hasn’t happened in a generation, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday directed the state’s public electric utility to build a new nuclear power plant, one with enough capacity to power roughly 1 million homes.

Speaking at an event at the Niagara Power Plant in upstate New York, Hochul said with the state growing and continuing to attract large manufacturers, it is imperative to “embrace an energy policy of abundance” that centers on the state controlling its own energy future.

“This is the second time during my administration that I am calling on the New York Power Authority to lead a critical energy initiative, and just as it is doing with the expedited buildout of renewable energy and transmission, it will now safely and rapidly deploy clean, reliable nuclear power for the benefit of all New Yorkers,” she said.

The authority will now begin working with the state Department of Public Service to develop at least one new nuclear facility — and potentially more than one — to satisfy Hochul’s goal of adding one gigawatt of new nuclear-power generation to New York’s aging fleet of reactors.

Among other things, the two agencies will have to determine whether the state will develop the multi-billion dollar facility on its own, or seek to do so as part of a public-private partnership.

The current estimated cost of building such a facility in the United States is between $6 billion and $12.9 billion, depending on the size and type of reactor.

Now that Hochul has set the project in motion, NYPA will immediately begin evaluation of technologies, business models and locations for the nuclear power plant.

This process will include site and technology feasibility assessments as well as consideration of financing options, in coordination with the forthcoming studies included in the master plan for Responsible Advanced Nuclear Development in New York, led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the Department of Public Service.

Candidate locations will be assessed for suitability based on public safety, strength of community support, compatibility with existing infrastructure, as well as skilled labor and land availability, the governor’s office said in a press release.

While Monday’s announcement was big news in New York State, it will also be a big test of President Donald Trump’s promise to expedite permitting for such projects.

In May, the president signed executive orders aimed at accelerating the development of nuclear power projects.

The orders outlined plans to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, fast-track licenses for new projects, and use federal lands for reactors for the military or large data centers for artificial intelligence.

If the administration successfully follows through on the president’s goals, it could very well usher in a new era of nuclear reactor construction across the United States after decades of stymied growth of the industry due to safety concerns and permitting that has moved at little more than a glacial pace.

So far, despite their being in different political parties, the president and Hochul have managed to find a way to work together effectively where energy is concerned.

Just last month, lengthy conversations between the two resulted in Trump directing the Interior Department to lift its stop-work order on the Empire Wind offshore wind energy project off the coast of Long Island.

As part of those discussions, Hochul agreed to end New York’s opposition to two proposed natural gas pipelines, called Constitution and Northeast Supply Enhancement, which it had sought to block over environmental concerns.

The Constitution pipeline was designed to transport gas more than 100 miles from northeast Pennsylvania toward Albany. The shorter and lesser-known of the two pipelines, the Northeast Supply Enhancement project, would run largely underwater, from New Jersey toward New York City.

Williams Companies, the developer of both pipelines, got the greenlight to restart their efforts less than a week after Trump relented on Empire Wind.

When it comes to nuclear power, Hochul has already gone on record as saying she supports Trump’s efforts to change the federal permitting process for nuclear plants, a process she believes goes on for too long and creates barriers that are almost impossible for states and developers to overcome.

Since 1990, only five new commercial nuclear reactors have come online in the U.S. according to the Energy Information Administration. During that same time period, the agency said, a total of 20 nuclear power reactors have been permanently shut down.

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