A Forbes piece written nearly a year ago — when Indian Point nuclear reactor number 2, not 3, was closing — described the insanity of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s policy of simultaneously proliferating both gas-turbine power and wind power while shutting down nuclear (New York already has next to no coal-fired power.) The April 20, 2020 commentary, “New York Has 1,300 Reasons Not To Close Indian Point” by economics journalist Robert Bryce, described the widespread opposition of towns and counties to his disastrous policy.
The replacement of Indian Point’s last two reactors by natural gas turbine plants will, by New York City’s estimate, raise CO2 emissions by 15% around the city. This, while state law passed this year requires New York State to produce 70% of its electricity from renewables by 2030! If the state did attempt to replace Indian Point with wind power, the turbines — making optimistic assumptions about their performance — would cover New York’s famous Central Park at least 400 times, whereas the Indian Point nuclear complex would occupy only one-third of the Park. As Bryce correctly states, nuclear power “is far more power dense” than wind or solar. And density, he says, is green, because it allows greenery around it — as well as human activity.
But interestingly, the state is building wind parks everywhere it can, against concerted opposition from towns and counties. “In 2007 … the town of Meredith … enacted a ban on wind projects. The fight in Meredith became the focus of the documentary Windfall, which premiered in 2012. Since then, numerous other towns in the state have been battling the encroachment of Big Wind. The towns of Yates and Somerset, along with three upstate counties — Erie, Orleans, and Niagara — have been actively fighting a proposed 200 MW project called Lighthouse Wind, which aims to put dozens of 600-foot-high turbines on the shores of Lake Ontario. Solar projects are also facing opposition. Last year, the town of Cambria rejected a proposed 100 MW solar project that would have covered about 900 acres with solar panels.
