The January, 2017, announcement that Indian Point would be closing by 2021 set off a barrage of media reports which carried some misinformation about the impact of the closing. The article below was written by Sierra Club member Marilyn Elie, a leader in the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, to address some of this information.

Local Officials Duped by Entergy with 25% Claim

January 8, 2017

Local officials in Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Westchester and NYC have come out with the same claim in response to the proposed closing of Indian Point with each official claiming that Indian Point produces 25% of the electricity for their area. They are all very concerned about replacement power. They have been duped and need not worry. The electricity from Indian Point has already been replaced.

But first, some simple math. Entergy makes 2,060 MW of electricity at Indian Point. According to Con Ed, our peak winter load for NYC and Westchester is 9,000 MW and jumps to 13,000 MW in the summer. Entergy can’t produce a quarter of either of those figures, even if it all of their electricity went into our grid – which it doesn’t. Entergy sells 560 MW to Con Ed and bids 1,500 MW into the summer Mid-Hudson Capacity market that serves five counties. In the winter the NYT and Bloomberg News report that it sends 1,500 MW to the Boston area where a lot of gas is diverted for heating and the price of electricity is high. (http://tinyurl.com/bostonprices) The New York Power Authority which supplies the subways, Metro North, municipalities and government buildings among other things has not purchased electricity from Indian Point for years because they can get it cheaper elsewhere (http://bit.ly/ZvIi41).

What’s left – nothing except the false 25% story that Entergy has told for so long that most people take it as gospel. Like a typical flim-flam artist Entergy claims it is selling the same 25% share of the electricity simultaneously to the five Mid Hudson counties, NYC and Westchester.

Replacement power does not have to be new generation. It can come from improvements in the transmission lines, increased efficiency where you get more work out of the same amount of electricity, or from something as simple as “demand response” where large users are paid to curtail usage at peak times and make extra MW’s available to the grid. There is a mixture of all of that plus new generation in the list below.

This is a list of the replacement power that came on line in 2016, with more to come in 2017 along with a bit of history about how it all happened.

Replacement Power for Indian Point

In 2012 Governor Cuomo directed the Public Service Commission to develop a plan for the closing of Indian Point. A Requests For Proposals was put out to the private sector. In addition, several energy market evaluations including the Indian Point Energy Center Retirement Analysis (http://tinyurl.com/nycenergy) which was prepared for the City of New York, the Synapse Report, (http://tinyurl.com/ rksynapse) and the 2013 Energy Highway Blueprint prepared by the State of New York (http://tinyurl.com/NYShighway) made recommendations about replacement electricity for Indian Point. All concluded that sufficient planning for renewables coupled with privately financed supply projects, would allow a smooth transition away from Indian Point.

Between 2012 and 2015, market circumstances rapidly changed. The first surprise in 2013 was that both Danskammer and Bowline, which were both out of service and expected to be demolished, were being refurbished and brought back on line as gas generators. This happened largely because a special capacity zone was established by the Independent System Operator to encourage additional generation in this part of the grid. As a consequence, 1,650 MW of unanticipated electricity became available in addition to the transmission accommodations, which were already in place. As a result, the PSC determined that the construction of new power plants was not necessary in order to replace Indian Point. Most significantly, in the fall of 2013 the PSC terminated its Request For Proposals and closed the door on new generation in this region. It should be noted that demand for electricity has not increased at the anticipated rate due to efficiency, conservation, and demand response which allows large users of electricity to be paid to reduce use during peak times. With the emphasis New York State has placed on roof top solar, solar generation will undoubted play a role in smoothing out peak demand as well.

Since the 2012 projections and the Energy Highway Blueprint recommendations, over 5,000 megawatts of electricity have been added to the system through transmissions upgrades, efficiency, and demand reduction from distributed generation. This provides over twice the electricity needed to replace the 2,000 megawatts generated at Indian Point. Some of this is gas generation, as the list below indicates. The carbon footprint for these plants has been anticipated and is already figured into the NYS Clean Energy Plan.

More projects will be coming online in 2017 and demand has not been as high as anticipated. We have a surplus of electricity to replace Indian Point, with more megawatts to come. So, a word to the wise – check your “facts” when they come from a source that stands to profit by them. Do the math and breathe easy. We have a surplus of electricity. Indian Point has already been replaced.

Indian Point Update December 2016

By Marilyn Elie of Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition

Our last update was in August and is available below, or at www.ipsecinfo.org.

Riverkeeper and the State of New York won a major victory in appellate court when the judge ruled that Indian Point was not grandfathered in as Entergy claimed it was, but was, in fact, subject to the laws of the State of New York under the Clean Water Act.  What this means is that the New York State, Department of State, Bureau of Ocean Management was upheld in denying Entergy an essential permit needed for operation of the reactors because the continued operation of the reactors is not in keeping with good coastal management. Thank you Riverkeeper and Attorney General Schneiderman.

The Bureau of Ocean Management has a comprehensive report which deals with how the continued operation of the reactors damages the Hudson River, fish stocks, and ground water. The same report outlines our surplus of electricity and details why our grid no longer needs the electricity from Indian Point.  A summary of the report is available at http://tinyurl.com/coast-summary. The complete report is available at http://bit.ly/1Kf8iOY.   There is an appeal process to the United States Secretary of Commerce and an appeal to federal court after that.  Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in New York’s ongoing drama of good coastal management.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has also denied Entergy a permit the corporation needs to dump heated water used to cool the reactors back into the river and radioactive discharges to the air.  DEC is calling for Entergy to install closed cycle cooling as a condition of relicensing in order to reduce water use and fish mortality by 95%. Their authority is the Clean Water Act which gives New York State the right to regulate discharges into its rivers and air.  An extensive appeals process is drawing to an end but there is no indication from DEC as to when information may be released.

Cuomo’s nuclear tax on every resident of New York was a surprising turn of events which was an unwarranted addition of Tier 3 to the NYS Clean Energy Plan.  This tax will show up on the electricity bill of every New York resident and provide 7.2 billion dollars of subsidies to four failing upstate reactors which cannot make it in the market place. The underlying issue seems to be jobs, not electricity. The way the subsidy is written create worrying implications for Indian Point. It is entirely possible that under certain circumstances Entergy could sue to have Indian Point included in Tier 3 for an additional 2.8 billion dollars of profit for their stock holders. Environmental groups across the State have united to fight this subsidy. Clearwater, in conjunction with Goshen Green Farms is filing an Article 78 Petition against the Public Service Commission arguing that it acted improperly in ramming through the infamous Tier 3 in support of the reactors. Complete information is on the Clearwater website at http://tinyurl.com/nuclear-subsidy.  

There are contentions still outstanding, most having to do with radioactive waste. These arguments to close the plant have been filed by Riverkeeper and the State of New York. The hearings for contentions are under the purview of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. The ASLB is a world unto itself and operates when the judges say so.  It is rumored that hearings may be held in March of 2017.  The judges are charged with rendering a verdict on relicensing and are expected to approve continued operation of the reactors. Once they have made their decision it goes to NRC staff and Commissioners who will surely concur with a decision to relicense.  Appeal is to federal court.

The last significant development is defective baffle bolts.  Baffle bolts are inside the reactor and hold up the shield that deflects water away from the fuel rods and keeps it circulating properly. Any problems, one might think, would be covered under the aegis of Managing Aging Equipment – one of the last areas allowed for challenging relicensing.  However the industry had never considered the possibility of their failure. It was discovered because of a suit brought by Attorney General Schneiderman on a different matter. Entergy inspected the bolts in Unit 3 in order to show how safe they were.  The results were not as expected. Replacing them was a lengthy, expensive process that closed the reactor for months. The NRC denied repeated calls for the baffle bolts at Unit 2 to be inspected, allowing Entergy to wait until the next scheduled outage. David Lochbaum of the Union of Concerned Scientists has filed a 2.206 petition asserting that NRC has not met their obligation to adequately monitor these bolts and asking for an industry wide review. This has huge implications for reactors across the country and has caused the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry’s mouthpiece, to join the process claiming that none of this is necessary since each reactor can handle the problem with baffle bolts should it arise.  Normally 2.206 petitions are dismissed out of hand by the NRC. The fact that this one was accepted is telling.  Thank you David Lochbaum.   For more information and a slide show of how these bolts work see http://allthingsnuclear.org/dlochbaum/indian-points-baffling-bolts.

Until all of these proceedings are concluded both Unit 2 and Unit 3 are allowed to continue to operate with expired licenses under NRC regulations which say that as long as the company filed for relicensing in a timely fashion, which they did, it can continue to operate until all litigation is over.

What can you do?  Share this information with local officials and others.  Entergy is the ultimate purveyor of fake news in our region and people need to know the documented truth. We do not need Indian Point.  We have a surplus of electricity that is clearly laid out in the New York State Department of State, Bureau of Ocean Management report and confirmed by the most recent publication by the Independent System Operators who monitor our grid in their 2015 Reliability Report.  When the reactors close, they will not even be missed.

For those who have not seen it yet, Indian Point, the film, is now available in DVD at http://firstrunfeatures.com/indianpointhv.html.  Sponsor a screening, invite some neighbors and decision makers and have a discussion afterwards.

Save the date: Saturday, March 11, 2017 - Fukushima to Indian Point: We Are All Connected.  Walk with the Peace Walkers as Buddhist nun Jun san makes her annual pilgrimage to Indian Point starting from the Croton train Station at 10 AM and continuing on to the Peekskill Riverfront Green for a water ceremony with Maria Maybe of the Onondaga Nation. Following the ceremony there will be a program and potluck at the Peekskill Presbyterian Church.  We hope to have a report back from Fukushima, Standing Rock and Split Rock Sweet Water Camp from people who were there.

High level radioactive waste remains the major problem at Fukushima as it is at Indian Point.  There is no solution to the intractable problem of disposing of this deadly poison.  We hope to host Dr. Gordon Edwards who has pioneered a system called Rolling Stewardship to manage high level radioactive waste. Details to follow. 

If you have questions or concerns about Indian Point call the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition at 888-474-8848 or visit our website at https://closeindianpoint.wordpress.com/

Indian Point Update August 2016

By Marilyn Elie of Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition

Indian Point – the reactors – seem to just keep rolling along.  Here is a quick update on the many aspects of actions surrounding the troubled Units 2 and 3.

Indian Point – the film - is starting a nationwide theater run.  It will eventually be shown on Epic TV and be available on Netflix. It is an evenhanded look at nuclear power and provides an opportunity for dialogue in what is a highly charged, polarized debate.

Indian Point Loses a Coastal Water Permit
The New York Department of State, Bureau of Coastal Management has declined to give Entergy a permit to operate in coastal waters.  Its beautifully written 150 page report lists all of the reasons why the continued operation of Indian Point is not in the interest of good coastal management.  One of the most important reasons is that the Hudson River ecosystem can no longer tolerate the damage the plant inflicts with its once through cooling.  The report goes on to state clearly that Indian Point is not needed since we have a surplus of power and that closing the reactors is “carbon neutral.”  That is, no new generation is needed and greenhouse gas emissions will stay the same when the plant closes.  The documentation in this report is excellent.  It was obviously prepared with an eye towards litigation and sure enough Entergy filed an appeal shortly after the report was released.  It is now pending in court.

Indian Point Loses a Water Quality Permit
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has long maintained that the once through cooling used at Indian Point is in violation of the Clean Water Act since it is not the Best Available Technology.  BAT is closed cycle cooling which reduces fish kill and water usage by 95%. DEC has refused to grant Entergy a water quality permit which it needs to operate. It costs $400 million to install a four story radiator style system for both reactors. Entergy has exhausted its court appeals and a decision is pending.

Unit 2’s Disintegrating Bolts
A recent inspection reveled that 34% of the baffle former bolts that hold a metal sheet, a baffle, which channels water for cooling across the fuel rods were disintegrating or lost. The bolts were replaced and Unit 2 restarted despite a court case calling for closure until a root cause analysis was done.  The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission declined to order an inspection for Unit 3, deciding it could wait until that unit shuts down for refueling in 2017.  Westinghouse and Entergy are doing a root cause analysis and because of that the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has postponed their hearings for the next eight months.  The ASLB is charged with deciding the validity of all of the contentions which Riverkeeper, Clearwater and the State of New York have brought against Entergy in an attempt to close Indian Point.  It is anticipated that the ASLB will find in favor of Entergy at which point the matter will go to the NYS Court of Appeals and could possibly go on to the United Stated Supreme Court.

NY Governor Cuomo Reverses Position
Rather than working for a just transition to clean energy, Governor Cuomo recently instructed the NY Public Service Commission to include nuclear power in the Clean Energy Standard. He evidently did this in order to save jobs and tax ratables in the struggling upstate economy, since the reactors were facing closure.  The subsequent decision of the PSC creates the worst of all possible worlds.  It skews the energy market with a taxpayer funded subsidy of $7.2 billion to nuclear power and guarantees that Entergy and Exelon will continue to operate four failing nuclear plants that cannot compete in the energy market place.  Even worse is the fact that Indian Point is specifically included in this policy, should it start to lose money. It sets a precedent that NYS, formerly touted as having one of the most progressive energy programs in the country, will include nuclear power as a green, carbon free source of electricity, which it is not.  The nuclear industry is already hard at work pointing to this example and encouraging other states to do the same.  Hats off to those who attended the public hearings, spoke up and worked so hard using facts, logic and market economy to try to stop this debacle.  It is a clear case of a politician more concerned with reelection than the cutting edge energy policy that was in place. 

How to Help Out
Life goes on and so does the effort to close Indian Point. Join IPSEC at our monthly first Sunday meetings at Stony Point Center as we plan our next steps in this continuing saga. For more information visit us on Facebook at IPSEC - Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, online at Closeindianpoint.org, or call us at 1-888-474-8848.