Dunkirk power plant
Chautauqua County leaders say they are ready to host New York’s next nuclear power plant — and they’ve got a location in mind.
Chautauqua County officials are trying to make the case with Albany that they have the best site to locate a new nuclear power plant.
It comes as the New York Power Authority is asking upstate communities to step forward if they have an interest in becoming a host community in its future plan for a new plant.
The lakeside former Dunkirk power plant — closed as a coal burning facility back in 2015 and still owned by NRG Energy — still looms with its greatly diminished taxpayer status over the community. Chautauqua County leaders still want to see that transformation to a nuclear energy power facility, and they’re all in on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s previously announced plan to locate a new nuclear plant somewhere upstate.
There is a new New York Power Authority request for such proposals.
Chautauqua County Executive Paul (PJ) Wendel Jr told 2 On Your Side: “We have a group that I’d say, like every other day, is sending information back — different nuclear projects going on in the state or other states for that matter. We’re at a prime location. I think we’re as available as anybody else. There really doesn’t have to be a whole lot more work done. You’ve got a facility there with I believe the turbines are still inside the facility.”
He added: “If not us who? Wayne County already has one, they have one out in Oswego. There isn’t any in this part of the state.”
Other states such as Tennessee are pushing former coal plant to new nuclear plant conversions. It is tied to the anticipated future soaring demand for electricity from data centers, AI usage, and then New York state’s overall electrification plan as the governor regards nuclear as a bridge factor for a clean energy transition away from fossil fuels.
Some say the latest nuclear technology with small modular reactors might also fit the Dunkirk site.
County Executive Wendel is aware of lingering safety and environmental concerns with nuclear power plants. That is even though it’s been in place in New York state and elsewhere and in Navy ships for many decades.
Wendel brings up the economic factor for Dunkirk.
“Opposition is gonna be there always. They’re always going to have a hardcore position to take. But I think at the end of the day — when you look at “welcoming” — that is an understatement to what the City of Dunkirk would be should they be able to land a nuclear energy producing facility. Because of the removal of that power generating facility (the NRG Coal burning plan), we don’t even know how far in debt they are — somewhere between $15 million and $20 million. Just think of what that could do to produce more energy and now all of sudden you have a taxable property that’s putting, you know, $4 million to $7 million back into the taxable roll every year.”
Wendel estimates that NRG now pays way less than a million dollars in taxes on the old plant property.
It is not clear if current plant owner NRG Energy would be on board or an obstacle to any such plan to a nuclear plant conversion. a
The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission would also have to sign off but President Trump is known to be very pro-nuclear.
In fact administration officials recently signed a new $80 Billion dollar deal with Westinghouse Electric to build ten large nuclear reactors in the U.S with each powering an estimated 750 ,000 homes. Ironically, Westinghouse is now owned by Canadian companies even as President Trump has a tariff trade feud with Canada.
