MASSENA — Officials plan to submit an application to the New York Power Authority to site a nuclear facility in Massena.
Village trustees Kenneth J. McGowan and David Broadbent had attended a nuclear symposium at Clarkson University, and the topic was a subject of conversation at the village board meeting.
“I think it dispelled a lot of myths of what nuclear was. There were some people I spoke with afterwards who were naysayers, and when they walked out, they’re like, ‘I support this 100%,’ and one individual comes here often. He goes, ‘I support this 100%.’ It’s not what it used to be,” McGowan said.
He said it would be an excellent opportunity to get a nuclear facility in the community, “even part of that 1 gig.”
“I think it would be awesome,” McGowan said.
“Absolutely. It would be a godsend for economic development,” Mayor Gregory M. Paquin said.
He said they continue to push forward with a vision to site the facility in Massena.
“We are going to submit, along with the town and with the help of the IDA (Industrial Development Agency) an RFI (Request for Information). It’s a step in the process, but I think we’re ahead of most other communities in terms of preparation and ready to give information that’s needed,” Paquin said.
Village Administrator Monique N. Chatland said responses from the request for information are due Dec. 11 and said it could create hundreds of jobs.
“It would be great for our community,” she said. “I already had one meeting with the IDA and I’ll continue to help them in any way.”
At a minimum, responding communities should:
• Identify at least one site in Upstate New York with strong potential for a nuclear new build as it relates to size, water access and protection from external hazards; and
• Demonstrate support from community members and key stakeholders.
The Power Authority had announced in August that they would be asking communities around the state if they would be interested in siting a nuclear facility in their municipality.
“Our plan is to issue a couple of solicitations in the fall, one for community interest around the state. We’ve already seen examples of instances where communities, after the announcement, have sort of raised their hand and said, ‘We’d like you to consider us.’ We don’t want to leave anyone out in that, so we’re going to put a solicitation out, cast a pretty wide net, and see which communities are interested so that we can gather information from all around the state,” NYPA President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll told trustees.
The village and town of Massena had already passed resolutions in favor of siting a facility in Massena during their July meeting. Others could either join in or opt not to participate.
“The governor, as you know, said very directly that this plant will not be in any community that doesn’t want it. That was part of her announcement,” Driscoll said. “In terms of the 1 gigawatt that we’ve been directed to build, you could go at that several different ways. You could build one 1 gigawatt facility or you could build a series of small modular reactors to get to that 1 gigawatt total. It’s too early to say, but we have that optionality in terms of how we get there. So, that’s something we’re going to be looking at very closely.”