Governor Hochul claims 8 communities have expressed interest in hosting a nuclear plant, but she declined to name them.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday gave an update on plans to construct the first nuclear power plant in New York State in nearly 40 years.
Hochul was joined at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum on Elmwood Avenue by Ontario Premier Douglas R. Ford Jr., who noted that there are currently 19 operating nuclear reactors in his province and promised to help New York leaders in any way he can as the state seeks to add to its current roster of three nuclear plants, the last of which was opened in 1988.
Hochul announced her intent for the state to build a nuclear plant this past June, while conceding windmills and solar farms simply won’t meet New York’s growing demand for affordable, clean energy.
New York’s nuclear option
The large majority of electricity in the state is still produced by fossil fuels and the state is struggling to meet its mandates under its 2019 Climate Act.
Among the mandates are for all electricity in New York to be produced with zero emissions by the year 2040, which is something power production experts have long cautioned as unattainable unless additional measures are taken.
It’s what drove Hochul to direct the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to begin the process of pursuing a new nuclear power plant.
Hochul claimed that eight communities and roughly two dozen developers have expressed interest in hosting or building a nuclear power plant, but wouldn’t identify them when asked by reporters to do so.
Optimistic about Trump plan for nuclear
Neither Hochul nor NYPA has the authority to put a nuclear power plant on line, as the approval and licensing of such facilities lays solely with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Hochul has an ally in President Trump, however, whose Department of Energy recently funded ten new nuclear plants in an attempt to meet the nation’s explosive energy demands, and who seeks to reduce the time to license new plants from the current 8 to 10 years to just 18 months.
I’ve spoken, actually to President Trump about this in the White House and talked about the fact that people aren’t embracing nuclear because there’s a perception it is a long, arduous process, which takes a decade to get approvals,” Hochul said. “So he has agreed to find ways to approach that with more urgency. We are working closely with the federal administration in this particular area.”