The power plant was originally built by Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation. FitzPatrick and half of the Nine Mile Point site were transferred to the Power Authority of the State of New York (PASNY), now called the New York Power Authority (NYPA). It was named after Power Authority Chairman James A. FitzPatrick, and the NYPA operated the plant until November 2000 when it was sold to Entergy Corporation.[2] On November 2, 2015, Entergy announced its plans to shut down FitzPatrick at the time of its next fuel change in 2016[3] but instead elected to sell the plant to Exelon Generation for $110 million.[4]
On April 1, 2017, Exelon's generation division, Constellation Energy assumed ownership and continues to operate the plant.
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.[5]
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of FitzPatrick was 35,136, an increase of 17.0 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 909,798, an increase of 3.2 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Syracuse (36 miles to city center). Canadian population is not included in these figures, such as Kingston, Ontario, 49 miles to the city center.[6]
Seismic risk
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at FitzPatrick was 1 in 163,934, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.[7][8]
Announced closure
On November 2, 2015, Entergy Corporation announced that it intended to close the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant because it is becoming too costly to operate.[3][9] The nuclear industry's profits had been squeezed out by cheaper energy from natural gas plants. “Given the financial challenges our merchant power plants face from sustained wholesale power price declines and other unfavorable market conditions, we have been assessing each asset,” Chief Executive Officer Leo Denault said in the statement. “Market conditions require us to also close the FitzPatrick nuclear plant.”[10]
In 2016, Cuomo directed the Public Service Commission to consider ratepayer-financed subsidies similar to those for renewable sources to keep carbon free nuclear power stations profitable in the competition against carbon based natural gas.[11][12]
In August 2016, Exelon agreed to buy the plant pending regulatory approval and formally acquired ownership and operation on March 31, 2017.
Electricity Production
Generation (MWh) of James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant[13]
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