‘Dems Want Net-Zero… This Is It’: Secretary Wright Urges Indian Point Nuclear Plant Restart

In a press conference at the shuttered Indian Point site, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) urged the immediate rebuilding and reopening of the Indian Point nuclear plant, framing it as a practical fix for New York’s self-inflicted energy woes.

“Nuclear power is the cleanest source of energy,” Wright stated. “The Democrats want to talk about net-zero carbon emissions — this is it. 
And they have a responsibility. If they are serious about bringing down costs, costs that they drove up, they have a responsibility to work with the administration, work with the local government to bring this back online.” 

Rep. Lawler was more direct, “Hudson Valley families are being suffocated with rising energy costs because of Governor Hochul’s failed and disastrous energy policies. It is time to reverse course.”

The plant’s two reactors were once delivering over 2,000 megawatts of reliable, carbon-free baseload power, supplying about 25% of New York City’s electricity and roughly 10% of the state’s total needs before closing. That output equated to enough electricity for approximately two million homes. Closed in phases (Unit 2 in 2020, Unit 3 in 2021) under a deal cut with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo over baseless safety and environmental concerns, Indian Point’s departure forced greater reliance on natural-gas plants.

The politically-motivated stunt has driven NYC electricity bills nearly 60% above the national average, spiked carbon emissions, and contributed reliability shortfalls amid surging demand from data centers and electrification.

New York Power Grid Stabilizes After Rare Energy Warning https://t.co/Vfj0crpyCA

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 25, 2025

Holtec International, which now holds the site, has signaled that a modernized restart with upgraded safety features is technically feasible, though it would require a roughly five-year, $10 billion rebuild. Still cheaper and faster than the disturbingly expensive and slow Vogtle plants…

NY Governor Kathy Hochul has already signaled firm resistance. In an October letter to Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, she kept it simple, “Let me say this plainly: No.”

Hochul said there are “no discussions or plans” for reopening and she “would not support efforts to do so.” Hochul has called the original closure “done in haste” and lacking a solid Plan B, yet she prefers expanding advanced nuclear upstate and importing hydro power rather than reviving the downstate facility. This likely has more to do with the fact that most of the upstate districts lean Republican while the city leans Democrat, pointing to the Governor engaging in a whole other level of pandering.

Government shouldn’t delay growth — it should help drive it.

We are going to act boldly, building upstate’s first nuclear power plant in a generation.

Because if New York wants to keep being an economic powerhouse, we need clean, affordable, abundant power. pic.twitter.com/p23tIT0ieo

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 23, 2025

The brewing power struggle will pit federal against state authority. Wright’s Department of Energy can dangle incentives, loan guarantees, and NRC licensing pathways while spotlighting the plant’s role in national energy security. Hochul, however, controls key environmental permits, water rights, and the Public Service Commission, which is everything the state needs to block the restart.

Whether Hochul bends under mounting bill complaints and re-election pressure, or digs in and sparks lawsuits, regulatory delays, and congressional hearings, remains to be seen.