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NY state officials are offering financial help to stop the closure of FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Oswego County, but the plant owner says it's too late.

(NRC)

SCRIBA, N.Y. - The state Public Service Commission said today it is working on plans to provide financial assistance to the FitzPatrick nuclear plant in a desperate attempt to keep the plant from shutting down.

PSC officials said they will undertake a rushed review of the plan and expect to have financial subsidies available for FitzPatrick by June, long before the plant's scheduled closure next January.

The commission did not specify how much assistance it would provide. But officials said they want to prevent the nuclear plant's closure because it would hurt Gov. Andrew Cuomo's ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions and fossil fuel consumption.

Cuomo recently announced plans for a new clean energy standard to provide half of New York's energy from renewable sources by 2030. The governor also pledged to cut carbon dioxide emissions 40 percent by 2030.

PSC Chair Audrey Zibelman beseeched Entergy Corp., which owns FitzPatrick, to work with state officials on a financial rescue for the nuclear plant.

"The plan would enable expedited financial support to FitzPatrick and other qualified nuclear power plants in Upstate New York," said PSC Chair Audrey Zibelman. "Until then, we invite Entergy to work with us to make the plans necessary to refuel FitzPatrick and to support the statewide objectives of New York's new Clean Energy Standard."

Entergy officials responded that it is too late to save FitzPatrick, which the company plans to close because it loses money. The company added that if Cuomo wants to reduce carbon emissions, he should back off his insistence that Entergy shut down the Indian Point nuclear facility, which Cuomo says is unsafe because of its proximity to New York City.

Cuomo recently announced his plan to offer financial "clean energy'' payments for nuclear power, but the help would only go to Upstate nukes - FitzPatrick and Nine Mile Point in Oswego County, and Ginna in Wayne County. Indian Point's two reactors would not qualify.

"If the state is focused on reducing CO2 emissions, the clean energy standard should apply to Indian Point which is an essential generation resource critical to the state's goal of reducing CO2 emissions,'' said Tammy Holden, speaking for Entergy.

The commission today agreed to conduct a speeded-up review aimed at making financial supports available to Upstate nuclear plants as early as June. Entergy officials dismissed today's action as too uncertain and too late to save FitzPatrick.

"For several years we have advocated for a clean energy standard,'' Holden said. "Unfortunately, whatever this program may turn out to be, it won't be in place in time to change the outcome for FitzPatrick. We remain committed to operating the plant safely until the planned date of January 27, 2017 when we will safely begin the decommissioning process.''

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