Previously Published in The Messenger
By Cait Crudden
In a turn of events regarding the state’s direction with green energy, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) is directing the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the New York Department of Public Service (DPS) to develop “at least one new nuclear energy facility with a combined capacity of no less than one gigawatt of electricity, either alone or in partnership with private entities.”
Nuclear energy has been a mostly taboo topic in the decades following notable disasters, such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. However, as international debate swirls around green energy alternatives, nuclear energy is now making its way back into the picture, with decades of research, development, and education having been collected to pitch energy development with no greenhouse gases and a long-term low-cost outlook.
Hochul says that the NYPA would begin evaluating “technologies, business models, and locations” for the first plant, hoping to have nuclear power in fifteen years.
However, this calls into question the retention of certain renewable energy mandates passed in recent years. New York has imposed a statutory mandate for 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 with the current goal of 70% carbon-free power by 2030. The New York State All-Electric Buildings Law says that by December 31, 2025, new buildings of seven stories or less will be prohibited from installing fossil fuel – primarily oil and natural gas – equipment and appliances. By January 1, 2029, the prohibition will extend to all new buildings.
The two initiatives are seemingly at odds with each other, especially as consternation remains between the State and federal governments regarding offshore wind.
Weighing in on the matter is Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James), Ranking Member of the Energy and Telecommunications Committee. “Nuclear is a way to generate clean energy, but where would the plant go?” Mattera told The Messenger. “A nuclear plant will never be built on Long Island; we will never see a nuclear power station here. I worked at the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant when it was being built and when it was shut down and dismantled because there was no evacuation plan.”
However, Mattera says that he, in good conscience, cannot dictate where a nuclear plant should be built, given it would happen outside of his district.
“There must be complete community awareness if anything is proposed; it can’t be a sneak attack,” said Mattera. “Environmentalists are already in an uproar about it.”
Environmentalists take issue with the proposal as counterproductive to the clean energy goals of the State. They believe that a nuclear plant is a dirty, dangerous, and expensive alternative that will delay renewable energy projects to help the State meet its self-imposed goals.
“We’d be lucky if this even took twenty years to happen,” said Mattera, criticizing the timeline as far too short to be implemented. “I’m hearing from experts that one of these reactors could take twenty-five years until it would be operational. That’s still not helping with our mandate in 2030. Governor Cuomo (D) should have never shut down Indian Point. He did it to bow down to the environmentalists.”
Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC) was a three-unit nuclear power station in Peekskill, Westchester County. Governor Cuomo ordered the plant to be shut down in 2021. Mattera says that his colleague and Energy and Telecommunications Committee Chairman, Senator Kevin Parker (D-Flatbush) believed shutting down IPEC was a mistake.
Mattera says that one gigawatt will handle 750,000 to one million homes.
“That’s a pretty decent size,” said Mattera. “But the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) says that you won’t be able to purchase a new boiler, gas stove, or gas ovens. All the surrounding states will sell them though.”
Mattera says that multiple local agencies and unions have joined the lawsuit against the CLCPA, including Plumbers Local 200, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the Long Island Building Industry (LIBI), and the New York Propane Gas Association.
Instead, Mattera says Hochul’s plan should consist of putting the CLCPA and other related deadlines on hold while the nuclear power plan takes its course. Meanwhile, two natural gas pipelines could alleviate infrastructure strain and decrease CO2 emissions.
“Bring in the Constitution Pipeline and the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Pipeline,” said Mattera, with the former originating in Pennsylvania to power Upstate and New England and the latter originating in the South to power geographic Long Island.
“Hundreds of tanker trucks of frozen natural gas go up and down our highways. They’re spitting CO2 into our air, using energy to liquefy the natural gas, and then pumping it into a system that already has a capacity shortage.”
Mattera points to just last week’s heat wave as a point of capacity shortage, adding that about 40% of New York’s electric energy is coming from out-of-state transmission, such as Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Mattera also says that Long Island’s “antiquated” energy infrastructure needs to be reworked to handle the demands imposed by the CLCPA, and that the current “gas capacity” is currently insufficient for just the East End alone.
“We need to re-tool our existing power plants with carbon capture. That’s the most inexpensive and economical way of handling our renewable energy needs for our future,” said Mattera. Carbon capture is the practice of reducing CO2 emissions by preventing them from entering the atmosphere. Instead, the CO2 is captured at its source and utilized for various products, such as fuels, chemicals, and building materials.
“I’ve been pushing for re-tooling our existing plants with carbon capture. Senator Parker has a bill to do something with that, but we didn’t have enough time in session. I’ll be working on that to bring such a bill to the floor in January,” said Mattera, adding that he is in favor of innovative methods of green energy, such as green hydrogen experiments being conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).
“That’s the place that does the experiments and has the most sophisticated scientists in the world. For us to move forward, we need to re-tool our existing plants,” said Mattera. “The Governor has done nothing to add money in her budget to retrofit our antiquated grid. Our grid can’t handle all-electric; it’s the cart before the horse. She’s done nothing to invest in revamping the grid for all-electric. Zero.”
Mattera also says the energy problem is multi-faceted. Wind and solar are “okay”, in his opinion, as they don’t give enough energy to meet the grid’s demands. More electric power would require battery storage facilities, on which the Towns of Smithtown, Huntington, and Islip have placed moratoriums. Mattera says such facilities would cost “trillions.”
“The Governor is trying to appease everyone for renewable energy in the future; fifteen years for a nuclear reactor would be a blessing if that could happen,” said Mattera. “But she has a lot of hurdles before this could even be proposed to go in anyone’s district. It’s a political nightmare. We have given her and her office data months ago and we haven’t heard anything back.”