Union leaders and management at Indian Point Energy Center reached a tentative contract agreement Saturday morning, diffusing a potential strike, Entergy Corp., the owner of the Buchanan-based power plant, said in a press release.
Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2, which represents about 400 employees out of a total 1,600 at the plant, had authorized a strike if a new deal wasn’t reached by midnight Friday when the previous contract expired.
Entergy officials said in a written statement that the new contract “benefits all parties,” including the workers, the union and Entergy itself. Entergy spokesperson Jim Steets did not disclose the terms of the deal pending a union review of the contract. He said it was “more than likely” union members would vote in favor of the deal. The union is scheduled to hold a vote in the next few weeks.
Executive leaders at the the union could not be reached for comment about the details of the contract agreement. On the union’s website, a message stated, “tentative agreement reached with Entergy; four-year agreement; more details to follow.”
Indian Point produces 25 percent of the electricity consumed in New York City and Westchester County. Entergy, a national company that generates more than $10 billion in annual revenue, is seeking to relicense Indian Point’s dual reactors with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, amid opposition from some environmental groups and politicians including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat.
Indian Point 2’s permit expired last year and Indian Point 3’s permit will expire in December 2015. The NRC has allowed continued operation of the plant until a decision is reached on its permit renewals.
Your statement that IP “produces 25 percent of the electricity consumed in New York City and Westchester County” is wrong. They provide only 5%.
Indian Point sells 560 megawatts to ConEd, which transmits All the electricity used in Westchester County and NYC. The region uses 9,000 MW on an average winter day, and 13,000 in the summer. 25% is, respectively, 2,250 MW and 3,250 MW — each more than the max 2,000 IP can produce, particularly in the summer.
The 560 it actually sells to ConEd amounts to 6% of the electricity consumed daily in the winter and 4% in the summer. IP sells about 1,400 MW daily through ISO New England. There is NO electricity from IP used for the streetlights, airports, municipal buildings, schools, subways or MetroNorth, whose electricity is provided by NYPA and transmitted by ConEd. The source for these statements: ConEd and NYPA.