The Nukes-Greenhouse Connection in New York

Kennedy Maize has a Power blog entry that notes a number of issues of interest to me, and this blog; nuclear, New York power, politics (famous offspring), and alleged carbon trading.

The Nukes-Greenhouse Connection in New York | POWER Magazine:

Here’s an interesting conundrum, posed by UBS utility analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith in a recent report sent to his clients: If anti-nuclear and economic forces succeed in closing several nuclear plants in the New York in the near term, it could cripple the state’s plans for reducing greenhouse gas emission and devastate the regional cap-and-trade program, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI (pronounced like the first name of Baseball Hall of Fame New York Yankee Reggie Jackson).
Environmental activists have been pushing for more than a decade to close Entergy’s Indian Point plant on the Hudson River some 35 miles north of New York City. Many who follow these issues, including an anonymous source of mine with very close ties to Entergy, predict that the New Orleans-based utility generator and New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo this year will agree to a deal to shut the plant.
Closing Indian Point – increasingly likely – will increase the state’s carbon emissions by around 26%...

Continue reading at POWER Magazine


The writer, Kennedy Maize is of an opinion that Indian Point will close and that smaller New York reactors will therefore need to stay open.
I think she's wrong.  Indian Point is likely to be the most viable of the sites and if it goes, Ginna and James A. Fitzpatrick aren't likely to survive (both on a short-list at Forbes).

Ontario, and Quebec, have played a role in gutting electricity rates in New York.  A year ago I wrote Cheap Canadian Imports contribute to historic low New York electricity prices, but I'm not sure I expect that to continue much longer (at least not during peak demand periods).

Power feels the RGGI is relevant to decisions on carbon emissions.
I doubt it.
New Jersey already left and New York will follow if it's more convenient than not leading.  The RGGI has never demanded carbon emissions be reduced to anywhere near the level they were at - and forward targets have, until very recently, been set well above emissions expected by business as usual (BaU) forecasts.  The RGGI is a tool that exists to provide the appearance of a carbon reduction policy.

Add to all this that the New York governor - the one scared of Indian Point - is the son of a respected New York governor.  I always find sexually transmitted democracy difficult to take - I would at least hope the bar would be set higher for the children of the famous.  Not so for this Cuomo; New York seems intent on an energy policy reliant on neighbouring states uncovering natural gas by using hydraulic fracturing techniques it will outlaw in it's own state.