[11 / 1 / ?]
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/20/nuclear-plant-closure-carbon-emissions-new-york
EnvironmentClimate crisisWildlifeEnergyPollutionGreen light
a yellow sign on a chain link fence in front of a grey power plant
View image in fullscreen
In this 26 April 2021 photo, a sign on a fence warns of radioactive materials at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, New York. The plant is now closed. Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP
Nuclear power
A nuclear plant’s closure was hailed as a green win. Then emissions went up
Shuttering of New York facility raises awkward climate crisis questions as gas – not renewables – fills gap in power generation
Oliver Milman
Oliver Milman
Wed 20 Mar 2024 06.00 EDT
Share
When New York’s deteriorating and unloved Indian Point nuclear plant finally shuttered in 2021, its demise was met with delight from environmentalists who had long demanded it be scrapped.
But there has been a sting in the tail – since the closure, New York’s greenhouse gas emissions have gone up.
Castigated for its impact upon the surrounding environment and feared for its potential to unleash disaster close to the heart of New York City, Indian Point nevertheless supplied a large chunk of the state’s carbon-free electricity.
Since the plant’s closure, it has been gas, rather then clean energy such as solar and wind, that has filled the void, leaving New York City in the embarrassing situation of seeing its planet-heating emissions jump in recent years to the point its power grid is now dirtier than Texas’s, as well as the US average.
EnvironmentClimate crisisWildlifeEnergyPollutionGreen light
a yellow sign on a chain link fence in front of a grey power plant
View image in fullscreen
In this 26 April 2021 photo, a sign on a fence warns of radioactive materials at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, New York. The plant is now closed. Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP
Nuclear power
A nuclear plant’s closure was hailed as a green win. Then emissions went up
Shuttering of New York facility raises awkward climate crisis questions as gas – not renewables – fills gap in power generation
Oliver Milman
Oliver Milman
Wed 20 Mar 2024 06.00 EDT
Share
When New York’s deteriorating and unloved Indian Point nuclear plant finally shuttered in 2021, its demise was met with delight from environmentalists who had long demanded it be scrapped.
But there has been a sting in the tail – since the closure, New York’s greenhouse gas emissions have gone up.
Castigated for its impact upon the surrounding environment and feared for its potential to unleash disaster close to the heart of New York City, Indian Point nevertheless supplied a large chunk of the state’s carbon-free electricity.
Since the plant’s closure, it has been gas, rather then clean energy such as solar and wind, that has filled the void, leaving New York City in the embarrassing situation of seeing its planet-heating emissions jump in recent years to the point its power grid is now dirtier than Texas’s, as well as the US average.
