Broome County Executive Jason Garnar ‘99 said Broome County is interested in potentially hosting a new nuclear power plant site.

The proposed plant is part of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to develop at least five gigawatts of advanced nuclear capacity in upstate New York. The project’s development follows Hochul’s June 2025 announcement calling on the New York Power Authority to develop one gigawatt of advanced nuclear capacity, which she later raised to five gigawatts during her 2026 State of the State address earlier this month.

“As New York State electrifies its economy, deactivates aging fossil fuel power generation and continues to attract large manufacturers that create good-paying jobs, we must embrace an energy policy of abundance that centers on energy independence and supply chain security to ensure New York controls its energy future,” Hochul said in June.

The reactors will power data centers and semiconductor factories that are being built upstate, like the $100 billion semiconductor manufacturing hub that is being built by Micron in Onondaga County, which broke ground on Jan. 16.

So far, eight communities across the upstate region, including Broome County, have expressed interest in hosting the plant.

Even if the county chosen for the project, it will not proceed with any development without first gauging public opinion, Garnar told the Press & Sun Bulletin, adding that the county has also not fully evaluated if hosting a nuclear power plant is feasible for the area. Limits on the county’s power capacity, for example, could hinder the plant’s ability to run to its fullest potential.

“Even if the state indicated we were an area to do this, we would still have to go to the community and see if this is something the community wants to do,” Garnar said. “With that being said, over the last couple years the biggest hurdle to bringing in new companies to Broome County is access to power.”

Constellation Energy, which already owns three nuclear plants in the upstate area, is one of 23 developers interested in working with the NYPA on this project.

The reactors will likely be small modular reactors, a newer and cheaper alternative to traditional water-cooled reactors.

NYPA has indicated its nuclear initiative is meant to “deliver firm, zero-emission power,” and that the need for a new nuclear plant was prompted by economic growth and the shutdown of fossil fuel plants.

As part of the initiative, NYPA met with leaders and experts from the United States and Canada last September to discuss job growth and how the project could potentially expand the nuclear energy sector. NYPA is working with Ontario Power Generation to expand nuclear power in the state.

Some upstate environmental organizations have pushed back against the proposed nuclear plant. Seneca Lake Guardian, an environmental advocacy group based in the Finger Lakes area, is planning a protest ahead of the Schuyler County Legislature Meeting in Watkins Glen to voice their concerns.

Garnar explained that power projects have come to Broome County seeking possible development, but the amount of power required to run these projects nearly equals the total amount of power “the amount of power that’s being produced across the county.” Meanwhile, other companies have had power issues, even on a smaller scale, making it difficult for development to move forward.

“The reason we are open to having the discussion is because we realize how difficult it is to generate the additional power capacity we need to create more jobs here,” said Garnar. “If we don’t generate more power in Broome County, if we don’t get access to more power, we will never be able t