It’s time to protect, invest in nuclear power energy

As reported in “Utility bills a chilling surprise,” Feb. 15, Central Hudson blamed increasing energy costs on higher gas prices and the closure of Indian Point. It’s reasonable for New Yorkers to be concerned about both global warming and their energy bills.

Reuters reported U.S. gas futures for March were more than $4 per million British thermal units. European gas futures were trading at $27 per mmBtu. The United States is the world’s leading liquified natural gas exporter. We can expect domestic prices to continue to rise.

However, the state’s energy plan guarantees continued dependence on gas. The New York Independent System Operator predicts that even with colossal renewable buildout, we’ll need more dispatchable capacity — gas, hydro, nuclear — than the state’s current fossil-fuel power plants provide.

The Clean Path New York proposal is a 1,300-megawatt transmission line tied to 3,800

megawatts of renewable development upstate. CPNY will co-opt the Blenheim- Gilboa pumped-hydro storage in Schoharie County. Yet, when there’s no wind or sun, when storage is depleted, CPNY will carry energy from other sources. CPNY will cost tens of billions for electricity that might not be clean, renewable, or generated in New York.

We should protect existing nuclear assets and invest in advanced nuclear. Instead, state planners want to repeat the mistakes of California and Germany, places where people are paying for a huge buildout of low-energy-density, landhungry and short-lived renewables requiring expensive storage, transmission and backup.

New Yorkers concerned about global warming or about their property and their pocketbooks should worry as New York pursues a costly, senseless energy plan.

Dennis Higgins

Otego