Reforming energy vision

To the editor:

By 2021, Indian Point will close.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the closure as part of his Reforming the Energy Vision proposal. In doing so, he said there would be no net increase of emissions.

In New York, we generate electricity from three sources: natural gas, nuclear and hydroelectric. Nuclear accounts for more than 50 percent of our in-state production, and Indian Point alone provides 25 percent of the electricity for New York City and Westchester County.

When Indian Point closes, we will need to source electricity from elsewhere. Cuomo says that solar and wind are possibilities. But the New York solar market actually peaked in 2016, according to NY-Sun data. The large Long Island offshore wind project is 12 years away from being completed, and will generate only 60 percent of the power Indian Point did.

We will, in fact, make up the gap with natural gas. The state determined that three new natural gas plants in the metro area will cover our losses from Indian Point. Cuomo banned fracking in 2014, but now has essentially replaced nuclear with natural gas.

New York State has pledged 50 percent of our energy to come from renewables by 2030. So why are we shuttering Indian Point now, which provides emissions-free energy? Closing for safety reasons is one thing, but it is dishonest to say that there will be no new emissions from the closure of Indian Point.

Phoebe O’Connor

The author is a master’s degree student focused on sustainable energy at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.