Write a commentWe have three, count ‘em , three nuclear power plants within a stone’s throw from the City of Oswego. They have been there for forty years or more, and have operated safely and efficiently. They have provided needed jobs and tax revenue to the economy as well. They have become an important part of the lifeblood of the community, and the community has been very accepting of the nuclear industry, in contrast to other communities in other parts of the state and nation.
Oswego, I always argued, was the power capital of NYS, with three nuclear plants generating a combined capacity of 2,600 megawatts of electricity, the Oswego Steam Station another 1,700 megawatts, the Independence facility another 57 megawatts and the Varick hydro station 8 megawatts, for a grand total of 4,352 megawatts of power. Oswego reigns supreme in NYS electricity generation! The next closest generating rival is the Niagara Power Project (2000+MW), then Indian Point (1,600+ MW), and then the St. Lawrence Power project (1000+ MW). Clearly, we are the energy capital of the state, and should be proud of that fact, and leverage that fact in our dealings with the state and federal governments.
Years ago, there was an Energy Center on the site of the Nine Mile plants, that conducted tours for students, and served as a major educational focus point for the Nuclear industry. Oswego should once again host such an educational facility, but it does not have to be at Nine Mile. It could be located downtown, perhaps even on the vacant Fitzgibbons site, or in the to-be-developed old Price Chopper site. It could serve as a Tourist attraction as well as fulfilling a vital educational purpose. The Nuclear industry is finally beginning to get its head out of the sand, and it is time to reach out to such groups as “Nuclear Matters”, and see what the possibilities for Oswego are.
For a while, there were plans by Exelon and its partners to build a new Nuclear Plant on the Nine Mile site. Those plans were suspended and then abandoned a few years ago, for reasons not entirely clear to me. The fact that NYS has taken the lead in recognizing the contribution of Nuclear power generating plants to the non carbon pollution of our atmosphere could be a major turning point for the future of clean carbon free generation, which must be part of our mix of cleaner resources going forward. Our planet’s very survival depends on reducing our CO2 emissions, and despite its potential risks, nuclear generated energy does help us to reach that goal. Efforts must be undertaken to solve the waste generation problem, and security must be maintained and enhanced, but Nine Mile Point has proven to be a perfect site for such generating plants. The risk of a major earthquake is less than 1 in 180,000, and the 40 year track record of the plants safe operation there speaks volumes in and of itself. Mostly, it is fear that is holding us back. Jane Fonda’s 1979 movie “The China Syndrome”, which was quickly followed by a real life emergency at a Nuke Plant in Pennsylvania at Three Mile Island, led to a thirty plus years drought in considering new nuclear plant construction. Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukishima in Japan after a Tsunami struck a few years ago have not helped either, but with the threat of global warming being increasingly felt, and the hotter weather producing the need for more electricity in the summers to run our air conditioners, the time may have come for a rethinking of our national policy, and Oswego could stand to benefit greatly by this turnaround.
We need to be considered for one of the 20 or more new nuclear plants that are now being planned with federal subsidies, and we must also consider what additional host community benefits might accrue by the construction of such a new nuke plant. At minimum, the economic climate and tax base would be favorably impacted, but our infrastructure should also be part of the process of consideration. For example, we should lobby for completion of the four lane Interstate highway system to Oswego with the bypass of Rt. 481 around Fulton, and an improved Route 104 corridor and expanded highway connection to the Interstate system should be factored into the planning for any nuclear plant expansion. Our safety and ability to evacuate in the very slim chance of a need to do so should be no less a NYS government concern than of the residents surrounding Indian Point in the lower Hudson Valley. We also need to improve the transmission capability of our grid system to deliver locally generated power to more densely populated areas.
One of the other ideas I have advocated for over 20 years is what I have called an “Energy Generation Zone”, or EGZ , in which electricity generated by such plants is required to be sold at substantially reduced rates to consumers and industries within a specified radius of the plants, let’s say 50 miles. That would prove a boon to most local communities and an incentive for the development of high energy industry and more residential development as well. It would serve as a major magnet for further economic development.
Oswego needs to be in the forefront of the electrical generating scene, and have its voice heard. There is much to be gained, and little time to be lost in so doing. Time to power up.
