New York released a draft of its new State Energy Plan for public comment—and now, for the first time, it includes new nuclear. Those in opposition are mobilizing, and we need your help in showing support for clean, reliable, and abundant nuclear energy for a bright future.
Background
When New York released its Scoping Plan for climate action in 2022, the possibility of more nuclear power was barely mentioned. Today, as the state faces unprecedented demand for clean, reliable energy, it is front-page news. In 2024, Governor Hochul held an Energy Economy Summit focusing on nuclear that was praised by business, labor, and clean energy advocates. That led to the adoption of a Blueprint for considering advanced nuclear technology, a Masterplan process for developing new nuclear, and a multi-state collaborative to accelerate construction. Most recently, Hochul directed the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build at least a gigawatt of advanced nuclear action that has received major upstate support. Yet, despite these exciting events, some want to deny New Yorkers clean energy by striking nuclear from the plan. Tell the NYS Energy Planning Board that you support carbon-free nuclear power — existing and advanced — as an essential part of our clean energy future.
New Yorkers are encouraged to provide their input on the Draft State Energy Plan through public hearings scheduled across the State in August and September. The State Energy Planning Board is hosting seven in-person hearings and two virtual hearings.
Register to testify at one (or more) of the in-person or virtual public hearings on the NY State Energy Plan. Specific locations are listed on the registration page.
Feel free to incorporate our suggestions, but it is best to use your own words (spoken comments are limited to no more than 2 minutes per person).
Additional Talking Points (Provided by Nuclear New York)
Meeting Climate Goals – Renewables can help, but they won’t get us across the finish line. Advanced nuclear power is available today, and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) will be on the market in less than a decade. That’s good timing to help meet New York’s ambitious goal of carbon-free electricity. New York will need all available tools to decarbonize while providing abundant and reliable energy for the future. A lopsided extreme approach that is fixated on intermittent solar/wind and shuns firm nuclear will fail and lock us into fossil fuels. A balanced strategy that involves a rational expansion of both nuclear and renewables can succeed.
Reliability – Nuclear is the most reliable source of zero-emission energy. The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and NYSERDA find that even if the state pursues a massive buildout of wind, solar, and storage, it will need 20-45 Gigawatts of additional “firm” generation capacity as backup to keep the lights on when those other resources are unavailable. That is as much or more capacity than New York’s entire fleet of fossil fuel power plants. Advanced nuclear power offers reliable carbon-free electricity 24/7 (baseload) or on demand (dispatchable), meeting the needs of New Yorkers while providing the abundant, reliable energy for business and industry to prosper in the 21st century.
Protecting the Environment – Nuclear power is the “greenest” form of energy on the planet. It has the small physical footprint of any energy source, and requires less mining for extractive materials than any other form of energy (including solar and wind). In fact, a 1-gigawatt reactor produces as much energy annually as 30,000 acres of solar panels or 700 giant land-based wind turbines—and it does so without batteries, excessive transmission, backup generation, or other extensive grid support infrastructure. That saves farmland, forest, wildlife habitat, and tribal lands. Spent nuclear fuel (“waste”) can even be recycled.
You Get What You Pay For – The long-term system-level benefits of reliable 24/7 nuclear power make it a far more valuable asset than underperforming, intermittent sources that require expensive storage, backup generation, and excessive transmission to be functional at scale. Relicensing existing nuclear power plants is the most cost-effective way of limiting carbon emissions, and advanced nuclear power is projected to cost roughly the same as intermittent offshore wind. A nuclear reactor can last 80 years or more, whereas solar, wind, and batteries require frequent replacement.
Safety – Nuclear power has been in use for over 60 years, with over 400 reactors now operating in 32 countries worldwide. Over that time, it has proven itself on a per-energy-unit basis to be as safe as renewables and far safer than fossil fuels. In the entire history of commercial nuclear power, nobody has ever been harmed by dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel, whereas fossil fuel waste (air pollution) contributes to millions of deaths annually. Employing modern inherently safe and passively safe technology, advanced reactors improve even further upon this exceptional record.
High-Wage Union Jobs – Organized labor loves nuclear energy and strongly supports its expansion. Nuclear power has the highest-paying and most unionized workforce in the energy sector. It creates clean, skilled, family-sustaining jobs for a vibrant economic future. And unlike solar panels, wind turbines, or batteries, nuclear power does not rely heavily on overseas material supply chains (especially from China). New York has the companies, workers, and investment capital for this Made-in-America industry to thrive.
Public Support – Support for nuclear across the country is on the rise as people learn more. In fact, support tends to be highest around existing reactors because host communities understand the technology, value the high-wage family-sustaining jobs created, and appreciate the economic benefits received. Oswego County and other upstate communities’ support for more nuclear is a prime example of this. Recent surveys from Pew Research and Gallup find that more Americans support nuclear than oppose it, and those of Moxie Strategies and Radiant Energy show that a majority of New Yorkers favor increasing nuclear capacity.
Role of Public Power – Previously instrumental to developing large-scale hydropower and nuclear power, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) has a long history of delivering reliable, affordable electricity. It is precisely the right role of public power to help finance and build projects that are vital to energy security. The American Public Power Association (APPA), which has existed since 1940 and represents not-for-profit community-owned utilities powering 2000 towns and cities nationwide, is a strong supporter of nuclear energy.