Kathy Hochul has set statewide goal to add 5 GW of reactor capacity to grid
New York state governor Kathy Hochul took two “significant” steps on 2 June towards her goal of deploying new commercial nuclear reactors, announcing solicitations for work force training and for a developer to start construction of at least one new reactor by 2032.
The state-owned New York Power Authority (NYPA) will spend up to $40m (€34m) to develop training programmes for a wide variety of nuclear jobs, ranging from welders and pipefitters to engineers and radiation protection technicians, Hochul announced.
The power authority issued a request for applications from colleges, trade unions, community-based organisations or others interested in providing the training.
NYPA also issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for firms who are interested in building 1 GW (1,000 MW) of new nuclear power that Hochul has ordered the power authority to develop. The document states that firms must be able to begin construction no later than 2032 so they would qualify for federal tax credits.
The RFQ follows on a request for information last year, to which 23 parties responded.
Hochul has set a statewide goal to add 5 GW of nuclear power to the state electric grid, to more than double nuclear capacity from 3.4 GW to 8.4 GW. Of that, NYPA has been directed to build at least 1 GW.
The governor said nuclear provides the base of her “all of the above” energy strategy, which favours power sources that do not emit greenhouse gases.
“The solicitations announced today will help ensure New York is poised to lead the nation in new nuclear development that, along with renewables, will provide needed power in the face of increasing demand,” Hochul said in a news release.
In her 2025 State of the State address, Hochul announced the development of a master plan for advanced nuclear development in New York. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (Nyserda), together with the Department of Public Service other state agencies, is leading the development of the master plan. As a first step, Nyserda published a blueprint for advanced nuclear energy technologies that sets out the scope of issues to be considered throughout the master plan process.
Master Plan Due By End Of Year
The development of the master plan will provide a framework for in-depth examination into the key issues raised by the blueprint to develop recommendations for implementation of advanced nuclear technologies in New York State. The master plan development process is expected to conclude with publication by the end of 2026.
In January Hochul’s office said 23 developers and partners had expressed interest in the NYPA plans to develop a 1 GW nuclear plant in the state.
Among those to express interest in collaborating with the project were Acccenture, Aecom, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Holtec, NextEra Energy Resources, Rolls Royce and Westinghouse.
In addition, eight communities expressed their interest in hosting the project. These were Broome County, Jefferson County, Oswego County, Schuyler County, St. Lawrence County, Wayne County, City of Dunkirk and RED-Rochester, which manages energy use at Eastman Business Park, near the Ginna nuclear station.
New York has about 3.4 GW of nuclear power in operation through its Ginna, Nine Mile Point and FitzPatrick plants, which have four units between them and are all run by utility company Constellation.
In December 2025, NYPA signed a memorandum of understanding with Ontario Power Generation to collaborate on the development of both large-scale and small modular reactors in New York.
