Hochul Pushing Trump to Fast-Track New York Nuclear Plan
(Bloomberg) -- New York Governor Kathy Hochul is appealing to the White House for help fast-tracking a plan to build a nuclear reactor in the state.
Hochul announced in June a goal of adding at least 1 gigawatt of nuclear capacity, and she’s been in contact with President Donald Trump about accelerating the federal approval process, she said in an interview with Bloomberg TV Wednesday. The federal approval process currently could require as much as seven years, Hochul said.
New York is racing to meet booming demand for electricity, especially from data centers needed for artificial intelligence, and there’s strong interest in meeting that growth with nuclear power. However, those goals face numerous challenges, including a long and complicated regulatory process and wary investors that have seen recent projects balloon in cost. Hochul expects Trump to address some of those concerns.
“I said, ‘I’ll look at my streamline processes and you streamline yours and lets get this done sooner’,” Hochul said. “Find a faster way get me nuclear, too, Mr. President.”
The White House didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry about Hochul’s request.
Trump is a supporter of nuclear energy, which his administration sees as a key tool to boost US energy independence. However, he’s opposing other forms of clean energy, especially offshore wind, and Hochul had to negotiate with the president in May after he ordered work to stop on a $5 billion wind farm off Long Island.
While Hochul is touting her plan for a new reactor in the state, the owner of the closed Indian Point plant near New York City is exploring whether it could be restarted. The site shut down in 2021, but Holtec International, the company that’s in the process of taking it apart, said Wednesday that could be reversed, though a restart project may cost as much as $10 billion.
A spokesperson for the governor said the state is focused on seeing Indian Point get decommissioned, and Hochul’s nuclear strategy is centered on developing a new reactor in an upstate region.
“I want to add more nuclear,” Hochul said.
(Updates with comment from governor’s spokesperson in eighth paragraph. An earlier version corrected a reference to the governor’s role in the Indian Point project.)
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