New York state plans to build a large nuclear power facility, the first new major U.S. plant undertaking in more than 15 years, Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.
Hochul directed the New York Power Authority to develop and construct a zero-emission advanced nuclear power plant in upstate New York, she said in a press release and at a press conference in Lewiston.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the new plant on Monday morning.
Hochul said she has directed NYPA to add at least 1 gigawatt of new nuclear-power generation to its aging fleet of reactors. That's enough energy to power about 1 million homes.
"I'm going to lean into making sure that every company that wants to come to New York and everyone who wants to live here will never have to worry about reliability and affordability when it comes to their utility costs," Hochul said, the Journal reported.
The governor said NYPA, which may pursue a partnership with private entities, will find a site upstate and determine the reactor's design.
Only five new commercial U.S. reactors have come online since 1991, the Journal said.
The most recently built reactors were at Plant Vogtle in Georgia. Construction started in 2009 and they were completed in 2023 and 2024.
Nuclear plants currently produce about 19% of the nation's electricity.
Late last month, President Donald Trump ordered the nation's independent nuclear regulatory commission to cut down on regulations and fast-track new licenses for reactors and power plants, seeking to shrink a multiyear process down to 18 months.
The requirement was part of a batch of May 23 executive orders that aim to boost U.S. nuclear energy production amid a boom in demand from data centers and artificial intelligence.
The Washington Times reported in April that a Texas manufacturing facility is preparing to switch from natural gas to nuclear power as the Trump administration pushes to expand the use of small modular reactors to meet rising electricity demand and bolster the U.S. manufacturing base.
Reuters contributed to this story.
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