Above Photo: The Indian Point power plant (AP)
After previously denying there was an agreement in place, Governor Cuomo has officially announced that the Indian Point nuclear power plant will close by 2021. In a statement, he said, “For 15 years, I have been deeply concerned by the continuing safety violations at Indian Point, especially given its location in the largest and most densely populated metropolitan region in the country.
“I am proud to have secured this agreement with Entergy to responsibly close the facility 14 years ahead of schedule to protect the safety of all New Yorkers,” Cuomo continued. “This administration has been aggressively pursuing and incentivizing the development of clean, reliable energy, and the state is fully prepared to replace the power generated by the plant at a negligible cost to ratepayers.”
On Friday, multiple outlets reported that Cuomo and the power plant’s owner Entergy had reached a deal to close the facility, which is 25 miles from NYC in Buchanan. However, Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said, “There is no agreement—Governor Cuomo has been working on a possible agreement for 15 years and until it’s done, it’s not done. Close only counts for horseshoes, not for nuclear plants.”
Now that it’s done done for Cuomo’s State of the State address today (where he’ll also discuss things like early voting and more charging stations for electric vehicles), his office says, “After extensive litigation and negotiation, Entergy has agreed to end all operations at the facility, with plans to shut down Indian Point Unit 2 as early as April 2020 and Unit 3 in April 2021 – 13 and 14 years earlier than required under the anticipated federal re-licensing terms, respectively. The state will continue to closely monitor Entergy to ensure public safety and mitigate safety risks associated with the plant, including for storage of spent nuclear fuel.”
More details below; let’s remember how Indian Point has had many problems, like shutting down because of a pooping bird in addition to many other reactor malfunctions.
BREAKING: @Entergy announces #IndianPoint nuclear power plant will close in 2020-2021. pic.twitter.com/HwRYqIhTjr
— Myles Miller (@MylesMill) January 9, 2017
Kit Kennedy, director of the energy and transportation program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, “This is welcome news for the nearly 20 million people living within 50 miles of the troubled Indian Point nuclear plant. NRDC has long opposed relicensing its two reactors because of Indian Point’s history of operational, safety, and environmental problems, as well as the grave risk of a nuclear accident so close to the nation’s largest city.”
From the Governor’s office:
Indian Point Closure Plan
The results of the terms of the agreement and additional New York State contingency planning are as follows:
Early Close Date: Entergy Corp. has agreed to cease all operations at Indian Point and will shut down the Unit 2 reactor in April of 2020. Unit 3 will be shut down in April of 2021. Unit 1 reactor was permanently shut down in October 1974 because the emergency core cooling system did not meet regulatory requirements. In the event of an emergency situation such as a terrorist attack affecting electricity generation, the State may agree to allow Indian Point to continue operating in 2-year increments but no later than April 2024 and April 2025 for Units 2 and 3 respectively.
Rigorous Safety Requirements and Inspections: New York State will make annual inspections of the plant relating to key operational, regulatory, and environmental matters. Entergy will transfer used fuel to protective storage in “dry casks”, the preferred method of safely storing spent fuel, at a minimum of 4 casks per year and at least 24 by 2021. In addition, at refueling all of the bolts will be inspected at both units and any bolts will be replaced to ensure the reactors’ structural integrity through 2021. The plant’s steam generator will be also be inspected for any cracks during refueling outages.
Negligible Bill Impact: The Public Service Commission’s Indian Point Contingency Plan and other planning efforts have ensured that more than adequate power resources are able to come online by 2021 to ensure reliability of the power grid. Given these planning efforts and likely replacement resources, the plant’s closure in 2021 will have little to no effect on New Yorkers’ electricity bills.
Limited Re-licensing and Outstanding Litigation: Entergy will submit a six-year license application to NRC. Entergy, New York State, and other organizations will terminate litigation against one another.
State Retains Legal Authority: Even though certain cases are settled, the state retains authority to bring additional action against Entergy if new cases arise.
Workforce Protection: There will be continued employment at the plant throughout the closure process (through 2021), and under the terms of its agreement with New York State, Entergy has committed to offer plant employees new jobs at other facilities. The State of New York will work with workers to gain access to other job opportunities and worker retraining in the power and utility sectors within the state, including at other plants. And, through NYSERDA, the state will offer any worker re-trainings and new skills in renewable technologies like solar and wind.
Replacement Power: Indian Point produces 2,000 megawatts of electrical power. Currently, transmission upgrades and efficiency measures totaling over 700 megawatts are already in-service. Several generation resources are also fully permitted and readily available to come online by 2021, after the plant’s closure, including clean, renewable hydropower able to replace up to 1,000 megawatts of power. Together, these sources will be able to generate more than enough electrical power to replace Indian Point’s capacity by 2021.
No Net Increase of Emissions Due to Closure: The Governor’s leadership on energy and climate change will ensure that Indian Point’s closure will not have an adverse impact on carbon emissions at the regional level. Through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the state will continue to drive reductions in greenhouse gases across the power sector. Further, the Governor’s Clean Energy Standard to get 50 percent of New York’s electricity from renewables by 2030 is the most comprehensive and ambitious mandate in the state’s history to fight climate change, reduce harmful air pollution, and ensure a diverse and reliable energy supply at affordable prices.
Ongoing Environmental Protection: Entergy has also agreed to establish a $15 million fund to support environmental restoration and community benefit projects. The fund will support efforts potentially including, but not limited to, the protection and restoration of vital wetlands and estuaries, the creation and enhancement of wildlife habitat, invasive species migration, and the conducting of scientific studies to ensure the long-term viability of the area’s natural resources.
Local Tax Impact: The agreement allows for ample time to plan for and mitigate impacts to local tax revenues. Entergy’s previously agreed upon payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) to local government entities and school districts will continue through 2021, before being gradually stepped down at a negotiated level following shutdown. The state will also work with local communities to address potential revenue shortfalls, similar to how it has worked with communities affected by other plant closures through the existing fossil fuel plant retirement fund.