Indian Point nuclear plant to close by 2021
Entergy has come to an agreement with New York state to shut down the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County by April 2021, according to several news outlets.
Citing a person with direct knowledge of the deal, The New York Times first reported Friday afternoon that an agreement will shut down one reactor at Indian Point by April 2020 and the other by April 2021. Several other outlets, also citing an unnamed source, confirmed the agreement.
Licenses to operate the two nuclear power plants in Buchanan were set to expire in 2013 and 2015. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission allowed them to keep operating until the NRC makes a final determination on the renewal applications.
Shutting down the plant has been a goal of environmental groups and Gov. Andrew Cuomo for years. Cuomo has said having a nuclear power plant so close to New York City is too risky.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said Friday there is no agreement yet.
“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,” Azzopardi said.
As part of the agreement reported Friday, New Orleans-based Entergy will agree to a six-year license renewal. In exchange New York Attorney General Eric Schniederman and the environmental group Riverkeeper, both of which have opposed the plant’s continued operation, and both of which are in on the deal, will drop claims filed with regulators to stop the renewal.
“If we can shut down Indian Point under an agreement that enhances public safety and kick-starts investment into safer and more reliable renewable energy sources, that will be a major victory for the millions of New Yorkers who live in the region,” Schneiderman said in a statement Friday.
Entergy spokesman Jerry Nappi had no comment.
Negotiations between Entergy and the Cuomo administration began in early December, according to The New York Times. In November, New York’s highest court dealt a blow to Entergy by ruling that New York’s Department of State had the right to review federal relicensing applications for Indian Point to ensure compliance with coastal management protections.
The New York State Independent System Operator, which operates New York’s competitive energy wholesale markets and manages the power grid, would be required to perform an analysis on the reliability of the electrical system if it receives a retirement notice for any large power plant, according to NYISO spokesman David Flanagan. NYISO has not received a retirement notice from Indian Point, he said.
