New York Gov. Says State Will Build New Nuclear Power Plant

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state is ready to build a utility-scale nuclear power plant and would seek funding from the private sector to make it a reality.

The governor on June 23 provided few details about the project, except to say it likely would be located in an upstate location. Hochul did say a new facility would generate about half as much power as Indian Point, the 2-GW nuclear power station that was closed in 2021. Indian Point was located about 25 miles north of New York City. Hochul said a new 1-GW nuclear plant would provide needed power to help the state avoid energy shortages and rolling blackouts that have impacted other states.

Plant Vogtle in Georgia, which completed a two-unit expansion in 2024, is the last new utility-scale nuclear power station built in the U.S. The project endured numerous construction delays and cost overruns. It was the first new major U.S. nuclear power project built in about 30 years.

Hochul said safety would be “at the forefront” of any new project, and also noted any facility would have to meet strong environmental standards. The governor said, “This is not your grandparents’ nuclear reactor. You’re not going to see this in a movie starring Jane Fonda,” referencing the “China Syndrome,” a 1979 movie about a nuclear meltdown.

New York receives about 20% of its electricity from nuclear power, from three nuclear power plants—Ginna, Nine Mile Point, and FitzPatrick—that are located on the south shore of Lake Ontario and are owned and operated by Constellation.

Then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo led efforts to close Indian Point. Cuomo said having a nuclear power plant close to a population center like New York City defied “basic sanity.” The closure of Indian Point meant the state had to increase its reliance on fossil fuel-burning power plants to supply needed electricits. It led the New York Independent System Operator, or NYISO, which operates the state’s power grid, to delay plans to close some older natural gas-fired power plants serving the region.

This story will be updated.

—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.