The owner of the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Oswego County, which is scheduled to be closed starting in January, is in discussions to sell the plant to Exelon, owner of the nearby Nine Mile Point facility.
Entergy officials say the discussions are dependent on the approval of the Clean Energy Standard, which would provide subsidies to upstate nuclear plants. The New York State Public Service Commission has proposed an investment of $965 million into upstate's four nuclear power plants between 2017 and 2019.
Enetergy announced last November that it would begin to shut down FitzPatrick starting in January 2017. The company said the plant was no longer profitable due to cheap oil and natural gas.
Entergy says the discussions with Exelon will continue until at least mid-August. If no agreement to purchase the plant is reached by then, Entergy will continue with the closing of FitzPatrick.
Officials say that because of the discussions, FitzPatrick is preparing for two different outcomes. Workers are preparing for the plant's shutdown starting in January, but are also preparing for refueling and continued operations in the event the plant is sold.
Exelon had previously said that without the subsidies proposed by the Public Service Commission, it might be forced to close the Nine Mile Point Unit 1 reactor.
Entergy News Release - FitzPatrick Announcement
