New York to build new nuclear plant to power upstate factories

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New York will develop a state-of-the-art nuclear power plant to electrify data centers and microchip factories coming to upstate, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday, June 23.
The 1-gigawatt plant will generate enough power for one million homes and will be built by the New York Power Authority, either alone or with private partners, at an upstate site to be selected in the months ahead.
During an announcement at NYPA's Niagara County Power Project, Hochul said nuclear power has emerged as a clean-energy solution that will help New York achieve its climate goals at a time when the energy grid is facing increased demands from electrification of buildings and vehicles.
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She cited the 2021 shutdown of the Indian Point nuclear plant in Westchester County, which accelerated the use of polluting fossil fuels downstate, as an outcome she would rather avoid.
'You don't get cleaner air or lower asthma rates for kids by burning fossil fuels,' Hochul said. 'You get there by using more clean power and nuclear is today's answer to that.'
Hochul's full-throated support for an energy source vilified by left-leaning environmentalists places her at odds with a portion of her Democratic base that would prefer the state build out more solar and wind power. It's a stance that aligns more closely with a Trump Administration that wants to fast-track approval of nuclear power projects.
The environmental group Food & Water Watch, a leader in the campaign to ban the fracking of natural gas in New York, blasted Hochul's plan as misguided.
'Governor Hochul's nuclear gamble is a reckless distraction from the clean, affordable energy New Yorkers actually need,' said Alex Beauchamp, the nonprofit's northeast region director. 'Nuclear power is dirty, dangerous, and wildly expensive — and this project will leave New Yorkers footing the bill while delaying urgently needed progress on renewables. Hochul needs to stop chasing false solutions and start delivering real climate action.'
But, Hochul said Monday, nuclear power has emerged as a reliable, around-the-clock source of power that cuts across political divisions. 'I want to show this nation that blue states like New York can dream big and build big,' she said.
She said the 21st-century reactors the state plans to develop will be safer and more reliable than traditional reactors, which in years past stoked fears of nuclear disaster.
'This is not your grandparents' nuclear reactor,' she said. 'You're not going to see this in a movie starring Jane Fonda. Only the really old people caught that. And I wouldn't want that. I don't want to live in a world where people are afraid.'
It was an allusion to Fonda's role in 'The China Syndrome,' a 1979 film that debuted less than two weeks before a meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear power plant heightened national anxiety over nuclear power and stifled its advancement in the decades to come.
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The state has in mind an advanced nuclear reactor, smaller in size than traditional water-cooled reactors, which can be built and developed more quickly.
Hochul said she met last week with Tom Ford, the premier of Ontario, who has plans to build four advanced reactors. 'They're going to work with us,' she said.
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She said nuclear power will help the state keep and attract companies by promising a reliable source of energy. Tech giant Micron is developing a $100 billion manufacturing hub in Central New York to disrupt China's dominance of the global supply chain for semiconductors.
'Why are people like Bill Gates investing in advanced reactors?' Hochul said. 'Why is Microsoft bringing Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania back online to power its cloud computing and AI services? Why are companies like Google and Amazon supporting nuclear capacity around the world? My friends, it's coming and it's back and if we don't jump on or lead this, they're going to pass us by. These companies will go elsewhere.'
A new nuclear plant would generate 1,600 jobs during construction and another 1,200 to operate. Upstate New York already has three nuclear power plants — one near Rochester and two others on Lake Ontario in Oswego.
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Joining Hochul at Monday's announcement were several union leaders, including James Slevin, the president of the Utility Workers Union of America.
'Advanced nuclear energy technology has come a long way,' Slevin said. 'It is without a doubt the right choice to power New York's future in a way that will create family and community-supporting union jobs and benefit the economy.'
Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA Today Network's New York State team. He's won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that's included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Kathy Hochul plans for new NY nuclear plant, alarming environmental groups