The controversial Indian Point nuclear power plant would close by 2021 under a pending agreement between plant owner Entergy Corp. and the state of New York.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office on Friday suggested a deal is near to shut down the massive nuclear plant, which the governor and environmental activists have long sought to close, citing its location in Buchanan in the densely populated New York City suburbs.
The agreement — which is awaiting signatures from Cuomo’s administration — calls for one of Indian Point’s reactors to shut down by April 2020, with the second to follow a year later, according to a source with direct knowledge of the deal.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, issued a statement Friday saying there “is no agreement” but hinted that one may be in the works.
“Governor Cuomo has been working on a possible agreement for 15 years, and until it’s done, it’s not done,” Azzopardi said. “Close only counts for horseshoes, not for nuclear plants.”
Entergy, a New Orleans-based company, declined comment through a spokesman.
The New York Times, which first reported details of the agreement Friday, said the agreement could be unveiled publicly as soon as Monday.
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SOURCE: USA Today, Jon Campbell and Joseph Spector
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