Project would be first of its kind since work began on Vogtle-4 in 2013
New York governor Kathy Hochul has announced plans to build a nuclear-power plant in New York, the first major new commercial US plant in over 15 years, and one designed to add to add at least 1,000 MW of capacity.
Hochul said in a statement that she had directed the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to develop and construct a zero-emission advanced nuclear power plant in upstate New York to support a reliable and affordable electric grid.
The Democrat, speaking at the Niagara County Power Project in Lewiston, New York, said the state needs to secure its “energy independence” if it wants to continue to attract large manufacturers that create good-paying jobs as it deactivates aging fossil fuel power plants.
“As New York state electrifies its economy, deactivates aging fossil fuel power generation and continues to attract large manufacturers that create good-paying jobs, we must embrace an energy policy of abundance that centres on energy independence and supply chain security to ensure New York controls its energy future,” Hochul said.
The governor described the plan as “a critical energy initiative” that would complement the construction of renewable energy and the state agency would “safely and rapidly deploy clean, reliable nuclear power for the benefit of all New Yorkers”.
Hochul said that the nuclear plant would add zero-emission baseload power and help to advance New York’s goal to achieve a clean energy economy.
As a result of economic growth and fossil fuel power plant retirements, New York needs new, clean electricity resources to meet growing power demand from new industrial development, building electrification and electric vehicles, Hochul said.
She said the advanced nuclear plant will complement New York’s ongoing deployment of renewable energy by adding zero-emission baseload power, providing reliable and affordable clean energy to advance the state’s goal to achieve a clean energy economy.
Plan Is For ‘At Least One’ New Facility
NYPA, in coordination with the Department of Public Service (DPS), will seek to develop at least one new nuclear energy facility with a combined capacity of no less than 1,000 MW of electricity, either alone or in partnership with private entities, to support the state’s electric grid.
Hochul did not specify whether the 1,000 MW would come from a large-scale unit or a number of small modular reactors (SMRs).
NYPA will immediately begin evaluation of technologies, business models, and locations for this first nuclear power plant and will secure the key partnerships needed for the project, Hochul’s statement said.
Candidate locations will be assessed for suitability based on public safety, strength of community support, compatibility with existing infrastructure, as well as skilled labour and land availability.
This process will include site and technology feasibility assessments as well as consideration of financing options.
The process will be carried out in coordination with forthcoming studies included in a master plan for nuclear development in New York, led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (Nyserda) and DPS. Hochul announced plans for the masterplan earlier this year.
An initial blueprint published by Nyserda said nuclear offers attractive possibilities, but warned there are “a host of questions” to be answered regarding technological readiness, environmental and climate justice, waste, cost and cost risks.
It noted that nuclear plants in the US “have a long history of substantial cost overruns”. It said the most recent commercial reactors to be completed, the two AP1000 units at Vogtle in Georgia, were originally estimated to cost $13bn (€12bn), but eventually cost $32bn, with a seven-year delay.
Hochul’s announcement comes one month after president Donald Trump announced four executive orders to accelerate nuclear-power development in the US.
The orders are aimed at speeding up reactor approvals, boosting domestic uranium production and enrichment capacity, and accelerating deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.
Trump Wants Power For Baseload, Artificial Intelligence
Trump and administration officials have repeatedly emphasised the importance of abundant, inexpensive electricity for baseload power and also to power the energy-hungry artificial intelligence industry, helping the US win a global race to dominate the nascent technology.
The US has no commercial nuclear plants under construction, with the last two plants to have been brought online being Vogtle-3 and -4 in Georgia, in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Construction of the country’s most recent nuclear plant, Vogtle-4, began in 2013.
Dozens of startups and established nuclear firms have been working towards preparing the development and deployment of small and advanced reactors as the eventual future backbone of nuclear power in the US.
The efforts have also attracted the attention of energy-hungry big tech companies with the likes of Google, Amazon, Oracle, Microsoft, and Meta announcing various agreements with reactor developers since late 2024.
Nuclear plants currently produce about 19% of the country’s electricity, down 4% from its 2012 peak. It is expected to decline further, though big technology companies have recently licensed power from ageing reactors to meet the demands of AI computing centres.
Only five new commercial reactors have come online in the US since 1991 and electric utilities companies have forecast the US will need the equivalent of 34 new, full-size nuclear power plants over the next five years to meet power requirements.
New York has four nuclear plants at three nuclear power sites – Fitzpatrick, Ginna and Nine Mile Point – on the south shore of Lake Ontario that are owned and operated by Constellation.
Constellation said it applauded Hochul’s announcement. “This announcement from Governor Hochul highlights the essential role of nuclear power in delivering clean, reliable electricity to New Yorkers while supporting long-term grid stability and affordability,” said David Dardis, EVP chief legal and policy officer at Constellation.
The Nine Mile Point nuclear power station in New York has two reactor units. Courtesy Constellation.
