NY officials meet in Syracuse to discuss creating an ‘ecosystem’ to support nuclear power

Syracuse, N.Y. – State officials are holding a two-day summit on nuclear energy today and tomorrow in Syracuse, another sign of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s commitment to develop a new generation of nuclear plants to power the state.

The conference at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown will bring together state leaders, industry experts and others to discuss the need for work force training and supply chain development to support the nuclear industry. Panelists also will discuss how nuclear power can be used to spur economic development.

State leaders hope to establish an “ecosystem” to support advanced nuclear power, said Doreen Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Hochul in June ordered the state power authority to build at least 1 gigawatt of new nuclear power. This week’s conference will look at the potential to make New York a hub for the nuclear industry, Harris said.

 

“That’s what we’re talking about, all of the components that are necessary to not only get to the goals of our state, but frankly to position New York as relevant beyond our state’s borders,’’ Harris said Monday in an interview.

New nuclear power is expected to help the state meet its goal of having an electricity system without greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, officials say. Because nuclear plants are slow to site and develop, the draft state energy plan recommends moving ahead as quickly as possible.

 

“The state’s zero emissions by 2040 target is urgent, especially when viewed relative to the long development timelines of nuclear projects. Early development efforts are therefore important,’’ the plan says.

For some environmentalists, embracing nuclear is a mistake that will cost millions and slow the state’s progress toward converting the electric system to be powered chiefly by renewables.

A coalition of groups including the Haudenosaunee Nations, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, Alliance for a Green Economy and many others will conduct a “people’s meeting” at 11 a.m. today outside the Marriott to talk about the drawbacks of nuclear power.

“Decades of experience demonstrate that nuclear energy is too toxic, too dangerous, too expensive, and too slow to build to be a climate solution,’’ the groups said in a news release.

Harris said state energy planners are taking an all-of-the-above approach to developing zero-emission energy sources. Diversity in the power supply protects against over-reliance on any one source, she said.

But Harris concedes that one of the biggest challenges facing nuclear power will be to win over public opinion.

Many Upstate residents remember the cost overruns during the 1980s at Nine Mile Point 2 in Oswego County, and the 1979 partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, among other nuclear messes. For those people, state officials hope to provide information that future plants will be safer and more efficient.

“We need to be very clear and objective as we consider our next steps, but we also need to make sure the public as a general matter is understanding how this may differ from the history that they have,’’ she said.

NY officials meet in Syracuse to discuss creating an ‘ecosystem’ to support nuclear power - syracuse.com

 

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