CORTLANDT NY — On Tuesday, December 19, 2017, members of the New York State Indian Point Closure Task Force met again at the Cortlandt Town Hall for updates and reports on the plant’s pending closure.
At the meeting, New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit organization that oversees the state’s power grid, gave a highly anticipated presentation on how the plant’s closure could impact the state’s grid. Their complete report can be accessed online here.
Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (94 AD, Westchester & Putnam Counties) also attended the public meeting. Although Byrne is not a formal member of the task force, he represents a district that is less than 15 minutes away from the Indian Point Power Plant. He has made attending these meetings a priority, and is a regular member of the audience- attending every meeting thus far.
Assemblyman Byrne commented on the presentation, “Good to hear that NYISO’s analysis revealed our region should have enough power once the plant closes” said Byrne, “But it’s important to note their analysis is contingent on several proposed natural gas plants coming on line, and on time. If these plants don’t come on line as anticipated, there is a danger we could have blackouts in NYC and the lower Hudson Valley – something our state cannot allow to happen. I will continue to follow this issue closely as we approach Indian Point’s scheduled closure.”
Byrne also expressed other concerns, “Questions still remain about the loss of revenue, jobs, and future dependence on out of state energy generation. New York State should focus on generating energy, jobs and revenues in New York State— not in other states or countries. This needs to be a top priority.”
Senator Terrence Murphy, an official member of the task force who also represents the municipalities where the plant resides, asked two poignant questions for which the NYISO had no response. “We have several possible plans under consideration to replace the power that the region will lose through the closing of Indian Point. One plan will bring power down from Quebec, another would have it transmitted from New Jersey. Why can’t we have the power generated here in New York and create jobs? Secondly, You’re telling me that the plant produces 2,000 megawatts of power, and that we really only need 1,500 megawatts, which can come from other sources. If you’re telling me we producing more power than we can use, will consumers see a reduction in their bills when these new resources come on line?”
NYISO’s conclusion did not identify a Generator Deactivation Reliability Need following the deactivation of the Indian Point Energy Center, based on some key assumptions. Their study depended largely on the completion of the following natural gas plant facilities: Bayonne Energy Center II Uprate (located in New Jersey), CPV Valley Energy Center (located in Wawayanda, NY), and Cricket Valley Energy Center (located in Dover, NY). In a scenario studied, NYISO also concluded that should these facilities not come online, there would be considerable reliability needs left unmet.
According to NYISO’s report, “Entergy has satisfied the applicable requirements under the NYISO’s Generator Deactivation Process to retire the Generators on or after its requested deactivation date. This concludes the Generator Deactivation Process. The 2018 Reliability Needs Assessment will further evaluate the reliability of the New York Control Area through 2028 using the most up to date information at the time, in accordance with the applicable tariffs and procedures.”