New York Again Embraces Nuclear Power With Plans to Build New Plant

New York is planning to build a nuclear power plant capable of producing enough electricity for as many as a million homes in an as-yet-unnamed upstate location, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday.

Ms. Hochul said the plant, which would produce half as much power as the Indian Point complex north of New York City that was shut down four years ago, would help avert the “rolling blackouts” that have plagued some other states. She did not say how much the project would cost or how long it would take to complete but said that New York would seek investment from the private sector.

The governor said that safety would be “at the forefront” of the state’s planning and that the new plant would meet rigorous environmental standards.

“This is not your grandparents’ nuclear reactor. You’re not going to see this in a movie starring Jane Fonda,” she said, referring to “China Syndrome,” the 1979 movie about a nuclear meltdown.

Nuclear power has enjoyed a resurgence of interest from states and companies in recent years, in part because the plants don’t produce the greenhouse gases that are rapidly heating the planet, and they can run at all hours, unlike wind and solar power.

Tech giants like Amazon, Google and Microsoft have begun investing in nuclear power to help meet soaring electricity demand from their A.I. data centers. States like Illinois, Montana and Wisconsin have lifted longstanding bans on the construction of new nuclear plants. Texas this month approved a $350 million fund to build new reactors.