New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Jan. 9 announced that the Indian Point nuclear power plant, sited about 30 miles north of New York City, will close by 2021. He cited concern that the plant, owned by Entergy Corp., has had nine leaks in the past year alone. But company officials pointed to the deteriorating economics of the 1970s-era facility, particularly falling energy prices, high operating costs and relicensing that already has cost the firm $200 million.
“For 15 years, I have been deeply concerned by the continuing safety violations at Indian Point,” Cuomo said in a statement. “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.” Bill Mohl, Entergy commodities president, said, “The decision to shut down the plant was ours alone, due to economics. New York state did not shut down Indian Point.”