Climate Week NYC brings leaders from around the world to New York to discuss the policies and technologies needed to build a cleaner future. It’s also an opportunity to focus on what it will take to meet New York’s growing electricity needs without increasing emissions.
As buildings and transportation electrify, the state will need more carbon-free electricity available around the clock, and nuclear energy is already helping meet that need.
New York’s nuclear plants provide roughly one-fifth of the state’s electricity. Nuclear reactors do not produce carbon dioxide or air pollution while operating, allowing the plants to generate steady power without adding emissions to the atmosphere.
That steady output makes nuclear a strong partner to wind and solar. When renewable generation drops because of changing weather or time of day, nuclear continues producing carbon-free electricity. This helps New York expand renewable energy while keeping the grid reliable.
Advanced nuclear technologies can build on that foundation. As NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris explained in her recent op-ed, “Nuclear power will work in tandem with the creation of more renewable energy, like wind and solar.” She said this combination could help New York transition to a zero-emission grid.
Climate Week is about turning clean-energy goals into action. In New York, the Nuclear Reliability Backbone process is examining how to bring more nuclear generation onto the state’s electric grid.
Governor Kathy Hochul has directed the state to evaluate a pathway to 4 gigawatts of new advanced nuclear energy, building on the at least 1 gigawatt being advanced by the New York Power Authority.
Combined with New York’s existing 3.4 gigawatts of nuclear generation, the full 5-gigawatt expansion would create an 8.4-gigawatt backbone of emissions-free power. The state is evaluating how this additional generation could help meet rising electricity demand while supporting more wind and solar on the grid.
As Climate Week focuses attention on how to build a zero-emission energy system, New Yorkers have an opportunity to weigh in on the state’s approach.
NYSERDA and the Department of Public Service have released an Advanced Nuclear Policy Options Paper outlining ways New York could support new nuclear projects. The paper looks at how projects could be financed, which technologies could be selected and how costs and other risks could be managed.
The paper is an early part of New York’s broader plan for advanced nuclear development. Public comments will help inform the state’s decisions about which approaches to pursue and how new projects could move forward, so now is the time to voice support for nuclear.
New Yorkers can submit a public comment on the Advanced Nuclear Policy Options Paper and Nuclear Reliability Backbone process through September 24.