Josh Vlasto, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said “the governor’s long-standing position with respect to closing Indian Point has been clear, and this administration intends to follow through with implementing that policy.”

Details of the meeting last week between Entergy and the governor’s advisers were provided by people who were briefed on it but who insisted on anonymity because the meeting was private. It took place at the Capitol office of Howard Glaser, the governor’s director of state operations. The top Entergy executive at the meeting was Richard Smith, the president of its wholesale commodity business.

James F. Steets, a spokesman for Entergy, issued a general statement defending the plant.

“Indian Point provides 25 percent of N.Y.C.’s and Westchester’s power for subways, schools, police stations and firehouses, businesses and homes with virtually no emissions, at lower cost,” he said. “Entergy’s investment in recent years of more than a half-billion dollars to upgrade safety and security, and rigorous independent inspections by multiple inspectors on site full time, help ensure Indian Point is safe.”

The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 gives the federal government sole authority to regulate the safety of nuclear plants, but the states have always had the right to approve or disapprove the construction of power reactors, as they can approve or disapprove any power plant. Several states have held referendums on whether to force nuclear plants to close, but no such proposal has ever passed. Vermont is declining to permit continued operation of the Vermont Yankee plant, owned, like Indian Point, by Entergy, for operation beyond the expiration of its license next spring.

Entergy needs a water quality permit from New York as part of the federal relicensing of Indian Point. Last year, the administration of Gov. David A. Paterson denied the permit, but Entergy has requested an administrative hearing, which will take place this year. The company is also contesting the state’s denial to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Cuomo administration will preside over the endgame of this process at a critical phase, as Entergy seeks relicensing for Indian Point.

The passage of power plant legislation last week gave the Cuomo administration important new ammunition in its battle. While no large plants have been sited in New York State in more than a decade, the new legislation, by streamlining approvals, makes it easier for energy companies to begin that process.