Report: New York state adding 1 GW of nuclear to fleet
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has instructed the state’s public electric utility to add at least 1 gigawatt of new nuclear by building a large-scale nuclear plant or a collection of smaller modular reactors, according to the Wall Street Journal.
An exclusive report from the WSJ this morning said New York’s plans are reportedly one of the first big tests of President Trump’s push to expand nuclear power with the goal of quadrupling U.S. nuclear capacity—from 100 GW to 400 GW—by 2050. The main impetus is largely economic, with nuclear as a way to meet soaring energy demand as artificial intelligence grows and data centers are added to the grid.
“I’m going to lean into making sure that every company that wants to come to New York and everyone who wants to live here will never have to worry about reliability and affordability when it comes to their utility costs,” Hochul told the WSJ.
New York’s current nuclear capacity of 3.4 GW provides about 20 percent of the state’s electricity.
A closer look: The state is considering the property surrounding its three operating nuclear power plants, each owned in part or completely by Constellation Energy.
Constellation announced in January its partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to seek federal funds to build one or more advanced nuclear reactors at the utility’s Nine Mile Point site in upstate New York. The utility is seeking a portion of the $900 million in grants available from the Department of Energy. The federal agency first solicited bids in October 2024, but the Trump administration reissued the call for applications in March after “better aligning” the program with Trump’s energy dominance platform.
If the state decides to deploy a large-scale nuclear plant, it would be the first one pursued in about 15 years, since plans for Vogtle-3 and -4 began to take shape. The Vogtle project resulted in two new AP1000 reactors at Southern Nuclear’s plant in Georgia, but the new units cost roughly $17 billion more than anticipated and took about seven years longer to complete.
The New York Power Authority will find a site in upstate New York and determine the reactor’s design, the WSJ reported, and the agency could pursue the project solo or partner with private entities.
Hochul has prioritized energy projects since taking office in 2021 and told the WSJ that “she can’t recall a conversation she has had with Trump that didn’t include her advocating for changes to the federal permitting process for nuclear plants” through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“Why does it take a decade?” she told the WSJ. “That’s why no one is doing it; the barriers are too high.”
Background: Trump issued four executive orders in May that aim to overhaul and expand the domestic nuclear industry through simplified licensing processes, growth in powering military sites, and a focus on new technology and deployment.
These orders are “Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base,” “Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security,” “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” and “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy.”
The administration’s goal is to foster innovation and ease regulatory barriers to allow the U.S. to regain its leadership in nuclear energy, ensuring a stable and secure energy future.
