New York will add at least 1 GW of advanced nuclear capacity in upstate to support clean energy goals, grid reliability, and AI/data-center demand.
Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, declared on Monday that her state will be the site of a substantial new nuclear power facility expected to produce a minimum of 1 gigawatt of electricity.
Hochul stated during a press conference that eliminating nuclear energy would necessitate burning additional fossil fuels. “That will not be feasible for us in New York.”
The governor is instructing the New York Power Authority (NYPA), responsible for the operation and ownership of two dozen power facilities, primarily gas turbines and dams, to construct the new facility
NYPA, a state government entity, has yet to select a location or design for the plans, which are still in the early stages of development.
Hochul stated that the state will collaborate with private partners to establish the power plant and finance its construction while purchasing its electricity.
According to the Wall Street Journal, three nuclear plants presently operational in upstate New York are among the sites being considered. Constellation Energy owns all of them and has been actively soliciting technology companies to acquire output from its nuclear portfolio.
Currently, Constellation has agreements with Microsoft and Meta. Microsoft is reopening a reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania as part of a $1.8 billion project.
Meta is acquiring the clean energy attributes of the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois in a deal reportedly valued at billions of dollars. Amazon has recently agreed with Talen Energy to acquire nearly 2 gigawatts of nuclear energy in Pennsylvania.
Nevertheless, the nuclear industry continues to encounter potential negative factors. Over 15 years, no new nuclear power facility has been constructed in the United States.
Budgets and deadlines have been surpassed by billions for the most recent large-scale nuclear power facilities in the United States. Many startups are currently developing small modular reactors, which are intended to resolve these concerns by utilizing mass manufacturing.
However, the technology’s commercial viability is not yet proven until a few units are constructed.
Hochul stated that the project’s success will be contingent upon regulatory and permitting reform at the federal level. The construction of previous major nuclear power plants required years to complete. She stated, “The obstacles are located in Washington.”
As data center developers and technology companies investigate alternative energy sources, nuclear power has garnered renewed attention.
It has also become a rare point of accord between Democrats and Republicans, suggesting that the nascent nuclear renaissance could revive the nation’s aging nuclear fleet.
“If we don’t get on board, it’ll pass us by,” Hochul said.
