HERE IS THAT CONVERSATION.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE CURRENT ENERGY DEMANDS IN NEW YORK AS WELL AS THE AVAILABLE POWER SOURCES THAT MADE GOVERNOR HOCHUL INTERESTED IN EXPLORING NEW NUCLEAR POWER PROJECTS HERE IN THE EMPIRE STATE?

>> WE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN WE ARE GOING TO NEED EXTENSIVE EXPANSION OF OUR ELECTRIC GRID TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ELECTRIFICATION OF BUILDINGS AND TRANSPORTATION.

SO WE KNEW WE NEEDED A WIDE VARIETY OF RESOURCES AND I THINK DIVERSITY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME.

BUT CERTAINLY WE SAW STRONG BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR THE FEDERAL CONTEXT THROUGH THE ADVANCE ACT REALLY ADVANCING NEW NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES AND CERTAINLY THE GOVERNOR HAS MADE CLEAR SHE WANTS NEW YORK TO LEAD THE WAY WITH RESPECT TO BENEFITING NOT ONLY FROM THE FEDERAL LEVERAGE BUT FROM THE FIRM CLEAN CAPACITY THAT NUCLEAR POWER CAN PROVIDE.

>> CAN YOU EXPAND A LITTLE BIT ON THE ADVANCE ACT AND THE POTENTIAL THAT OFFERS FOR NEW YORK.

>> THE ADVANCE ACT REALLY SETS STAGE, I WOULD SAY INVESTMENTS ON MULTIPLE FRONTS, FIRST FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TAX CREDITS THAT CAN REDUCE THE COST OF THE RESOURCES AND ALSO PROGRAM TO BRING SCALE AND THAT'SY ACENTRAL ASPECT OF THIS, IS THAT NOBODY CAN DO THIS ALONE.

WE NEED INDUSTRY SCALE, STANDARDIZATION, TO ALLOW FOR COST REDUCTIONS AS WE MOVE FROM PROJECT NUMBER ONE TO PROJECT NUMBER 5, 10 AND BEYOND.

>> SO IN OUR CURRENT WORLD, A DAY AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN SEEM LIKE A LIFETIME AND WE ARE RECORDING IN MID MARCH.

THIS IS GOING TO AIR IN LATE MARCH.

BUT GIVEN THAT BACKDROP, WHAT HAVE WE SEEN OUT OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THAT SIGNAL A POSITIVE FUTURE FOR NUCLEAR POWER OR MAYBE MORE CHALLENGES FOR NUCLEAR POWER?

AT THIS POINT DOES IT SEEM LIKE THE STEPS TAKEN IN THE PAST ARE STILL MOVING CAUTIOUSLY FORWARD?

>> CERTAINLY THE ADVANCE ACT, AS I SAID, WAS A BIPARTISAN BILL THAT ADVANCED AND WE REALLY SEE THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT CONTINUING UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

IN FACT, IF ANYTHING, IT'S CONTINUED TO GROW.

SO THIS IS REALLY NEW YORK BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME TO BENEFIT FROM THE DURABLE POLICY THAT NOT ONLY WE CAN ADVANCE BUT CAN LEVERAGE FROM A FEDERAL CONTEXT AS WELL.

>> SO BACK IN THE FALL OF 2024, THE HOCHUL ADMINISTRATION AND YOUR OFFICE MORE SPECIFICALLY PUT OUT A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION TO GATHER SOME DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS ABOUT THE NEW NUCLEAR POTENTIAL THAT WE HAVE HERE IN NEW YORK.

AND I'M CURIOUS IF ANYTHING STOOD OUT TO YOU IN TERMS OF THE RESPONSES YOU GOT AND NOT NECESSARILY FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING NUCLEAR POWER BUT OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WHO SEE A POTENTIAL ROLE FOR THEMSELVES.

>> WE RECEIVED DOZENS OF RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION, REALLY TRYING TO TAKE STOCK OF THE ECOSYSTEM THAT EXISTS HERE TODAY OR COULD.

AND WE RECEIVED RESPONSES FROM EVERYTHING FROM HOST COMMUNITIES WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN CONSIDERING SITING A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN THEIR COMMUNITY, AT LEAST IN THE EARLY STAGE.

BUT EVERYTHING FROM A COMMUNITY ALL THE WAY TO A UNIVERSITY, WE HAVE A STRONG ECOSYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN NEW YORK THAT CAN REALLY BUILD ON THE WORKFORCE THAT WE HAVE, AS WELL AS THE SUPPLY CHAIN TO SERVE THE REACTORS AND SYSTEMS THEMSELVES.

SO I WOULD SAY IT IS AN EXISTING ECOSYSTEM THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE BUILT UPON WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE THE NEW OPPORTUNITIES THAT ADVANCE TECHNOLOGIES REPRESENT.

>> WELL, IT HAS BEEN A FEW MONTHS NOW SINCE THAT R.F.I.

WENT OUT AND SOME OF THE INITIAL RESPONSES CAME IN.

SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING THEN WITH THAT INFORMATION?

HAVE YOU BEGUN TAKING ANY SORT OF CONCRETE STEPS WITH THE RESPONSES?

>> SO WE ARE.

WE HAVE A MASTER PLAN THAT IS UNDER WAY THAT WILL OCCUR OVER THE COMING COUPLES OF YEARS, REALLY LOOKING AT ALL ASPECTS OF THIS TECHNOLOGY AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR ADVANCEMENT HERE IN NEW YORK STATE.

THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER INITIATIVES THAT ARE UNDER WAY TO CONSIDER THE POTENTIAL APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY IN OUR STATE.

A GREAT EXAMPLE IS THE SUPPORT THAT NYSERDA PROVIDED TO CONSTELLATION FOR AN APPLICATION TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THE EARLY SITE PERMITS NECESSARY 20 INSTALL-- TO INSTALL ONE OR MORE OF THE REACTORS AT THE NINE MILE FACILITY IN OSWEGO COUNTY.

THAT'S VERY REAL.

A TANGIBLE SITE IN WHICH WE COULD POTENTIALLY SUPPORT THE INSTALLATION OF A PROJECT.

BUT WE ALSO KNOW, AS I HAD SAID, WE REALLY CAN'T DO THIS ALONE AND CERTAINLY THE SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE PROVIDED IN CO-LEADING A MULTISTATE INITIATIVE, CALLED THE FIRST MOVERS INITIATIVE, OF A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STATES, BOTH RED AND BLUE STATES, WOULD I SAY IMPORTANTLY, LOOKING AT HOW TOGETHER WE CAN PROVIDE SCALE, CERTAINTY SAND A PIPELINE OF PROJECTS TO BRING THIS INDUSTRY FORWARD.

FASTER PERHAPS THAN WE WOULD ON OUR OWN.

>> THIS IS OFTEN TALKED ABOUT AS NEW NUCLEAR.

WE HEAR THE EXPRESSION OF ADVANCED NUCLEAR THROWN OUT.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE AVERAGE LISTENER COMPARED TO WHAT WE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT AS THE NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY THAT IS IN PLACE SAY ALREADY IN NEW YORK STATE?

>> SO THE STUDIES THAT WE HAVE UNDER WAY WILL CONSIDER THE APPLICATION OF EVERYTHING FROM WHAT ARE CALLED MICROREACTORS THAT LITERALLY COULD BE INSTALLED IN A NEIGHBORHOOD ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO LARGE REACTORS MORE LIKE THOSE THAT ARE IN OUR STATE BUT CERTAINLY MORE MODERNIZED DESIGNS.

THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS FIRST, REPLICABILITY MEANING THAT IN THIS CASE THEY COULD BE INSTALLED IN A MORE MODULAR MANNER IN A SERIES OPPOSED TO ONE LARGE LARGER REACTOR BUT ALSO FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SAFETY.

SAFETY PROVISIONS IN THE NEWER DESIGNS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED AND SOMETHING THAT CAN ALLOW I'D SAY NOT ONLY BETTER SITING OF THE TECHNOLOGY BUT THE MORE AUTOMATION THAT WILL BE NECESSARY TO CONTINUE TO ADVANCE ON IT FROM THE SAFETY PERSPECTIVE AS WELL.

SO WE DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER YET AND IT MAY BE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT SEVERAL TECHNOLOGIES, DEPENDING ON THE USE CASE.

AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE MASTER PLAN IS INTENDED TO DO, IS TO TAKE EACH TECHNOLOGY, DETERMINE WHERE AND IF IT MAY BE APPLIED AND DETERMINE IF IT IS SOMETHING THAT NEW YORK WANTS TO PURSUE.

>> AND IN TERMS OF PURSUING THIS TECHNOLOGY IN THE FUTURE, HOW RELEVANT IS THE ENERGY DEMAND IN NEW YORK TO THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE PROJECTS LIKE MICRON THAT EVER GOING TO BE VERY ENERGY INTENSIVE IN THE CENTRAL NEW YORK REGION.

THERE IS THE EMPIRE A.I.

DEVELOPMENTS OUT IN WESTERN NEW YORK.

ARE THOSE SOME OF THE DRIVING REASONS FOR PURSUING NUCLEAR ENERGY?

OR IS IT THE BROADER ENERGY SYSTEM THAT MAKES THIS APPEALING TO THE STATE?

>> GREAT QUESTION.

GOVERNOR HOCHUL CALLED THE FUTURE ENERGY ECONOMY SUMMIT LAST SUMMER FOR THIS VERY REASON, TO SAY LOAD GROWTH IS A GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE.

IT MEANS THAT OUR ECONOMY IS GROWING.

AND IN NEW YORK, MOST NOTABLY WE SEE THAT LOAD GROWTH HAPPENING IN THE UPSTATE REGION THROUGH DATA CENTERS, A.I., SEMICONDUCTORS, FABRICATION, ET CETERA.

WHEN WE LOOK AT THE POTENTIAL FOR APPLICATIONS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES, IT IS, IN PART, BECAUSE PERHAPS THESE FACILITIES COULD BE SITED IN A MANNER THAT SERVES THOSE LOADS DIRECTLY, MEANING LITERALLY AT THE SITE OF THE LOAD.

HOWEVER, IT ALSO COULD BE THE CASE THAT IT IS SERVING THE GRID AT LARGE.

AS I HAD SAID, WE KNOW OUR ELECTRIC SYSTEM NEEDS TO GROW AND EXPAND.

AND ELECTRIC NEEDS ARE VERY DISBURSE IN SOME INSTANCES, FROM OUR RENEWABLE RESOURCE, FOR EXAMPLE.

BUT NUCLEAR POWER IS DENSE AND CAN BE SITED IN A RELATIVELY SMALL SPACE AND REALLY DELIVER A LOT OF ELECTRICITY FROM THAT PARTICULAR LOCATION IN WAYS THAT COULD BENEFIT AN OFF TAKER LIKE MICRON, BUT ALSO THE GRID AT LARGE.

>> SO THE INITIAL R.F.I.

THAT WENT OUT LAST YEAR WAS FOCUSED ON UPSTATE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY.

IS THAT STILL THE FOCUS?

KEEPING IT SAY NORTH OF, WHATEVER THAT IMAGINE UPSTATE LINE IS ALTHOUGH I IMAGINE YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC UPSTATE LINE FOR THIS PURPOSE?

>> WE USE SPECIFIC ZONES FOR OUR CONSIDERATION.

BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT THE FOCUS THE GOVERNOR HAS PROVIDED AND THAT WHICH WE CONTINUE TO PURSUE IS REALLY HOW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CAN BENEFIT FROM THE DEPLOYMENT OF NUCLEAR POWER.

AND AS SUCH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LOADS, THEY ARE, FOR THE MOST PART, OCCURRING IN THE UPSTATE NEW YORK REGION AND REMAIN THE FOCUS OF OUR MASTER PLAN AND CERTAINLY OF THE ENGAGEMENTS THAT WE ARE HAVING TODAY.

>> SO A POLL CONDUCTED AT THE END OF 2024 BY THE SIENNA COLLEGE INSTITUTE FOUND NEW YORKERS WOULD SPLIT ON THE IDEA OF NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND A SLIM PLURALITY SAID THEY WERE IN FAVOR.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF DEVELOPMENTS OF NEW NUCLEAR POWER, HOW WILL LOCAL SUPPORT BE FACTORED IN THOSE CONVERSATION CONSIDERATION?

IT IS ESSENTIAL TO WORK TO NOT ONLY ENSURE THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH POTENTIAL HOST COMMUNITIES BUT THAT WE ARE DOING WHAT NYSERDA HAS DONE FOR 50 YEARS, WHICH IS PROVIDE OBJECTIVE, CLEAR-EYED COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TO AID IN DECISION MAKING.

I HAVE BEEN REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE WAYS IN WHICH HOST COMMUNITIES HAVE ALREADY STEPPED UP TO SAY, THIS IS SOMETHING WE AT LEAST WANT TO CONSIDER.

BUT I THINK THE HISTORY OF NUCLEAR POWER AND SPECIFICALLY THE HISTORY OF NUCLEAR POWER IN NEW YORK IS ONE THAT WILL NECESSITY AN EXTRA AMOUNT OF EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC AT LARGE AND POTENTIAL HOST COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE IT IS TRUE.

THESE ARE NOT THE TECHNOLOGIES OF YESTERDAY.

BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE ARE EXPLAINING THIS ALL.

AND AS I SAID, IN AN OBJECTIVE MANNER, TO AID IN THE COMMUNITIES' OWN VIEWS AND ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE INFORMATION TO HELP THEM IN THEIR DECISION MAKING AS WELL.

SO THIS IS CENTRAL TO THE WORK WE HAVE UNDER WAY.

SO FAR, A STRONG LEVEL OF SUPPORT HAS BEEN RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO OUR RFI, BUT THIS IS WHY WE HAVE A MULTIYEAR EFFORT BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO TAKE MANY YEARS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE SOLID ON THE FACTS AND SHARE THEM ACCORDINGLY.

>> PRESIDENT HARRIS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR MAKING THE TIME.

APPRECIATE IT.

>> GREAT TOPIC TO COVER.

GLAD TO BE HERE.