Somewhere in upstate New York, a community is about to get a big new factory — clean, quiet and employing hundreds of professionals year round — and dedicated to producing something that everyone needs: reliable electricity.
It might not be the only winner. By early December, we’ll know if one or two additional communities are in line for the same opportunity.
The New York Power Authority is seeking proposals and prospective host communities for 1,000 megawatts of new nuclear generation capacity. That could come from a single large reactor the likes of the Westinghouse AP1000, a modernized version of the Ginna reactor that has been running steadily for 55 years just east of Rochester. Or it could come from stacking together small modular reactors like GE Vernova Hitachi’s BWRX-300, which uses technology similar to the Nine Mile Point 2 reactor near Oswego but is designed to be mostly assembled in a factory, making it easier to build and incorporating simpler safety systems.
Or the state could choose from a variety of other designs, some of which operate with higher fuel efficiency and at higher temperatures. These reactors could supply industrial heat to factories, reducing New York’s reliance on fracked gas from Pennsylvania.
Responses are due on Dec. 11.
All the new models offer greater flexibility, which would help the New York grid absorb larger amounts of variable generation like wind and sun. And all will be needed for powering data centers, heat pumps, electric vehicles and economic growth.
Going with either one big reactor or several small ones would make New York’s clean energy goals much more achievable. There are real limits to how much wind and sun can be added, and any of these nuclear choices would be a significant step toward meeting the state’s decarbonization goals.
New reactors would be good for the economy across the state, but most of the jobs would be local. New York lost more than 18,000 manufacturing jobs between 2019 and 2023, according to a report from the state comptroller’s office, and likely more since then. Building and operating new reactors would help reverse that trend.
A new report from the U.S. Department of Energy says that a hyperscale data center co-located with a large nuclear plant can “create nearly 1,700 jobs for annual operations and more than 7,300 jobs” throughout the supply chain and surrounding local businesses. Small modular reactors serving smaller energy needs would also have big benefits.
The report also found that vast areas of New York have the water resources needed to cool both a data center and a reactor.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s call for new nuclear capacity is well timed. It aligns with the needs of the state as a whole and with the needs of the communities that may eventually serve as hosts. It comes during a period of deep concern about clean air, climate and access to reliable, affordable electricity. And New York is going shopping at a moment when billions of dollars are being invested in a new fleet of advanced reactors that will make wise use of natural resources for decades to come.
We look forward to seeing the responses from vendors and potential host communities, and to seeing what New York ultimately chooses.
H.M. “Hash” Hashemian is president of the nonprofit American Nuclear Society.