New York is trying to go nuclear.
As the Empire State struggles to meet demand for clean energy, there’s been renewed interest in the atom-splitting power source. In June, Gov. Kathy Hochul committed to building at least 1 gigawatt, enough to power about 1 million homes.
Experts refer to the renewed interest as a “nuclear renaissance,” with innovations such as smaller reactors as well as the promise of enough reliable emission-free energy to feed the growing demand of data centers and electrification. It’s also the one low-carbon energy source that President Donald Trump isn’t actively trying to undermine.
But nuclear experts warn that building a functioning nuclear power plant is a long, expensive endeavor that is difficult to locate, regardless of reactor size. The Union of Concerned