Two organizations charged with protecting the reliability of the state”™s electrical grid are in disagreement over whether the state would be able to meet peak capacity requirements if Indian Point”™s licenses to operate are not renewed.
Entergy Corp., owner of the Buchanan-based Indian Point Energy Center, has applied for license renewals for the plant”™s two nuclear reactors with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with the current licenses expiring in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
While environmental organizations, groups of Hudson Valley residents and elected officials including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman have called for the plant”™s closing, energy industry advocates say it would be difficult ”“ if not impossible, given the alternatives that are currently available ”“ to replace the plant”™s 2,060-megawatt capacity.
In a draft version of its 2012 Reliability Needs Assessment, the New York State Independent System Operator (NYISO), a nonprofit that oversees the operation and maintenance of the state”™s electrical grid, warned that “under stress conditions” ”“ such as during the summer peak consumption periods ”“ “the voltage performance on the system without the Indian Point Plant would be degraded.”
NYISO officials were careful to note that the 2012 RNA has yet to proceed through the approvals process, which includes the NYISO operating and management committees and the board of directors.
In contrast, the state Energy Planning Board, in its 2012 Reliability Study, approved by the board Aug. 30, concludes that despite reliability concerns highlighted by NYISO in its draft RNA, “there are mechanisms in place that would adequately replace any deficiency related to the closure of the IP units.”
The board includes appointments by the governor and both houses of the state Legislature, and representatives of various state departments and authorities, with NYISO represented as a nonvoting member.
Possible replacement sources cited by the Energy Planning Board include the Hudson Project, a transmission line under construction that would connect New Jersey to New York City once completed and that could provide at least 320 megawatts by mid-2013, and proposed generation and transmission projects that could provide as much as 5,000 megawatts to the southeastern portion of the state by 2015 or 2016.
The board also noted that a request for information issued earlier this year by Cuomo”™s Energy Highway Task Force elicited responses from 85 developers, investor-owned utilities, financial firms and other entities with ideas to upgrade the state”™s electrical grid that would total more than 25,000 megawatts.
Entergy spokesman Jim Steets downplayed the Energy Planning Board report, saying the board”™s composition is largely political in nature.
Steets said the NYISO report reinforces the need for Indian Point to continue to operate, adding that many of the proposed replacement sources of electricity are still in the planning stages.
“If you were to replace Indian Point, you have to think about what you would replace it with, and really the only thing available right now would be generators that rely on fossil fuels,” he said. “There”™s a lot of discussion about other things that might happen but right now they”™re just ideas. So we think it”™s very important that Indian Point continues to operate to ensure a reliable, less expensive and clean supply of electricity.”
