NY Manufacturers Push Advanced Nuclear

New York manufacturers are pressing Albany to add advanced nuclear power as electricity demand rises from chip plants, artificial intelligence computing and other large industrial loads. (nyiso.com) The New York Independent System Operator said in its 2025 Power Trends report that large-load projects are forecast to add 2,567 megawatts of demand by 2035. It said requests from data centers, high-performance computing projects and chip manufacturing have “grown dramatically” in recent years. (nyiso.com) On August 26, 2025, the grid operator said 29 large-load projects in its interconnection queue would add nearly 6,055 megawatts if all are built, up from six projects totaling 1,045 megawatts in 2022. It said roughly 2,500 to 4,000 megawatts of that new demand could be on the system by 2035. (nyiso.com) Advanced nuclear refers to newer reactor designs meant to provide steady, around-the-clock power with different safety systems and, in some cases, smaller unit sizes than older plants. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority said those technologies are being studied as part of the state’s plan for an affordable, reliable and zero-emission grid. (nyserda.ny.gov) Governor Kathy Hochul moved New York closer to that option on June 23, 2025, when she directed the New York Power Authority to develop at least one new upstate nuclear facility with capacity of no less than one gigawatt. The state said the plant would be zero-emission and would support grid reliability as fossil-fuel units retire and electricity use rises. (governor.ny.gov) The New York Power Authority said it would begin evaluating reactor technologies, business models and possible sites, alongside financing and feasibility work. The state tied that process to a broader advanced nuclear master plan led by the energy research authority and the Department of Public Service, with publication expected by the end of 2026. (governor.ny.gov; nyserda.ny.gov) Manufacturers in Central New York have publicly backed the push. Randy Wolken, president of the Manufacturers Association of Central New York, said in June 2025 that advanced nuclear would support “microchips, AI, biotechnology, advanced radar systems, and many others.” (governor.ny.gov) Micron Technology, which is planning a large semiconductor campus in the Syracuse area, also backed the state’s move. Chief executive Sanjay Mehrotra said affordable, reliable energy is “a critical factor” for the semiconductor ecosystem and called nuclear part of an “all-of-the-above energy strategy.” (dps.ny.gov) New York’s energy agencies have gone further since then. On January 13, 2026, Hochul directed agencies to establish a “Nuclear Reliability Backbone” totaling 8.4 gigawatts, made up of 3.4 gigawatts from existing plants, 1 gigawatt already under development by the power authority and another 4 gigawatts announced in her State of the State agenda. (nyserda.ny.gov) For manufacturers, the case is less about a single reactor than about how to power a new wave of factories and computing campuses without adding more strain to an already tightening grid. For the state, the next concrete step is the site, technology and financing work now underway at the New York Power Authority. (nyiso.com; governor.ny.gov)