Enough Power When Indian Point Closes: Report, Rebuttal, Tree-Sit

CORTLANDT, NY — A new report says that losing the power generated by Indian Point's nuclear plants will not lead to an unstable electric system for the Hudson Valley — as long as three power plants now under construction in the region do come online. But environmental watchdog group Riverkeeper, whose work to close Indian Point bore fruit at the beginning of 2017, says the three power plants are not needed.

One of the most controversial of the plants is the CPV Valley Energy Center in Orange County, and the pipeline that is planned to carry fracked gas to it from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania.

The Valley Lateral pipeline is a controversial 7.9 mile gas pipeline that would connect the plant to the existing Millennium Pipeline. New York state denied water quality certification to the Valley Lateral project in August but was overruled by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. A court upheld FERC's decision, and construction began in December.

A group of anonymous activists calling themselves Hudson Valley Earth First! is staging a protest with tree-sit blockades in the pipeline's right of way.

Last week the New York Independent System Operator released a report analyzing the retirement of the Indian Point nuclear plant and its impacts on the reliability of the system. The NYISO concluded that the reliability of the system could only be maintained if sufficient replacement sources of power are added within the Lower Hudson Valley.

NYISO is an independent, not-for-profit corporation responsible for operating the state’s bulk electricity grid, administering New York’s competitive wholesale electricity markets, conducting comprehensive long-term planning for the state’s electric power system, and advancing the technological infrastructure of the electric system serving the Empire State.

"The NYISO’s assessment does not identify a reliability need following the deactivation of IPEC, assuming that sufficient replacement sources of power are added within the Lower Hudson Valley," the report said.

"We are pleased that the NYISO has concluded its review on grid reliability and determined that Indian Point’s retirement will not challenge reliability due to the new natural gas-fired generation facilities that are expected to be on-line in New York over the next several years," said Jerry Nappi, a spokesman for IP's owner. "Entergy plans to continue safely and reliably to operate Indian Point Unit 2 through April 2020 and Unit 3 through April 2021, as per our January 2017 Settlement Agreement with New York State."

The NYISO’s assessment included three generation facilities currently under construction in the Lower Hudson Valley: Bayonne Energy Center Uprate, CPV Valley Energy Center and Cricket Valley Energy Center. Without them, needs would need to be met by additional generation, transmission, energy efficiency, and/or demand response solutions, the report said.

However, Riverkeeper disagreed that the three plants are needed, citing the a 2017 report by Synapse Energy Economics that was commissioned by Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In fact, the closure of Indian Point presents a perfect opportunity for New York to lead the charge on clean energy by setting efficiency mandates for utilities and investing in renewables, Riverkeeper argued in a statement about the NYISO report.

“New York can rely predominantly on energy efficiency, battery storage, wind and solar resources to replace Indian Point’s power if the appropriate policies are in place,” said Riverkeeper President Paul Gallay. “The Synapse report provides a detailed policy roadmap that describes how the state can secure this clean replacement power at a very small cost and without adding carbon pollution or risking reliability."

PHOTO/ Entergy