As part of New York’s pledge to create a zero-emission electric grid, Governor Kathy Hochul is calling for as much as 4 gigawatts of new advanced nuclear power in the state. That would be added on top of New York’s three current plants and a previously announced 1‑gigawatt New York Power Authority (NYPA) project, creating part of an 8.4‑gigawatt “nuclear backbone” for the grid.
Hochul made the announcement during her 2026 State of the State Address on January 13, with the goal of providing steady, around-the-clock power that can back up wind and solar.
Large projects in New York, like Micron’s planned $100 billion chip campus near Syracuse, will need huge amounts of reliable power. So will any future data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities.
For the construction industry, this could mean more business. Advanced reactors are being pitched as smaller and easier to site than older plants, opening a wider range of locations where they could be built. In fact, six counties and one city have already raised their hands and expressed interest in hosting one of these plants.
The communities interested include:
By expressing interest, these communities will open talks with New York leadership about land, local support, and how a project might fit with schools, housing, and existing industries. RED‑Rochester, for example, an energy provider in the City of Rochester, has also offered its services. The Governor says the state will launch training programs, like NextGen Nuclear New York, to build a local workforce for these projects.
In addition to the communities interested in hosting a nuclear plant, the Governor’s office says 23 companies and developers have signed up to work with NYPA on studies, designs, and potential reactor, engineering, or construction roles if projects move forward.
Those companies are:
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