New York Governor Kathy Hochul has ordered the state-owned New York Power Authority to develop at least one gigawatt of new nuclear-generation capacity, the first major U.S. plant to be initiated in more than 15 years. The directive, revealed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal and confirmed in subsequent statements, tasks the agency with selecting a reactor design and identifying an upstate site capable of supplying electricity to roughly one million homes.
Hochul said the state may invite private partners but is prepared to finance the project itself if necessary. The governor framed the effort as critical to meeting New York’s climate law, supporting semiconductor factories and artificial-intelligence data centers, and reducing reliance on natural gas after the 2021 closure of Indian Point. Officials have not fixed a schedule yet, but some advisers cited a goal of bringing the plant online around 2040.
The move will test recent federal rules intended to streamline nuclear licensing under executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, and state officials signaled they could seek federal loan guarantees. New York’s plan would lift the state’s nuclear capacity to about 4.3 gigawatts, bolstering a fleet that already provides roughly one-fifth of its electricity.
Momentum for atomic energy is also evident in Pennsylvania, where Constellation Energy said the dormant Three Mile Island Unit 1—recently rebranded the Crane Clean Energy Center—could restart in 2027, a year ahead of schedule. PJM Interconnection placed the 835-megawatt project on a fast-track grid-connection queue, while a 20-year power-purchase agreement with Microsoft will supply the tech company’s growing data-center load. Constellation estimates the restart will generate 3,400 jobs and add $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy.
Together, New York’s green-light for a new reactor and the accelerated Three Mile Island revival underscore a broader resurgence of interest in nuclear energy as states and corporations seek zero-carbon, around-the-clock power to keep pace with surging electricity demand.
