Entergy Announces Indian Point Closing

Indian Point Energy Center, the nuclear power plant closest to New York City, could be shut as soon as April 2021 under an agreement between New York state officials and Entergy, the utility company that owns the plant.

The plant is an important supplier of inexpensive power to the metropolitan NY area. It has the generating capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts, or about one-fourth of the power consumed in New York City and Westchester County. (Entergy)

Under the agreement, one of the two nuclear reactors at Indian Point will permanently cease operations by April 2020, while the other must be closed a year later.

Indian Point creates 12 percent of New York’s electricity and makes up 23 percent of New York’s clean power. (EIA)  It has provided 100 percent carbon-free electricity since Unit 2 first began operating in 1974. (NEI)

The ANS Special Committee on Nuclear in the States committee recognizes the closure of Indian Point has many environmental and economic impacts on the state and region. The plant employs over 1,000 people and it contributes $340 million in taxes, $1.3 billion to annual economic output to the local counties, $1.6 billion throughout the state of New York and $2.5 billion across the U.S. (NEI)

Closure of the Westchester County plant will lead to an increase of 8.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, or the equivalent of emissions from more than 1.6 million cars. (NEI)