Without nuclear power from Indian Point, the city says it could have trouble reaching its goal of reducing carbon emissions by one-third by the year 2030

 - Edited by April Murelio -

According to a report by WNYC News, New York City is adding its voice to those who say that the Indian Point nuclear power station should stay open. New York filed an amicus brief with the judge, declaring that Indian Point is critical to the city's electricity supply.

 Without nuclear power from Indian Point, the city says it could have trouble reaching its goal of reducing carbon emissions by one-third by the year 2030.

A judge in Albany is now considering whether to revoke an April decision by regulators that would force Indian Point's owner to build expensive new cooling towers intended to save Hudson River fish.The two nuclear reactors in Westchester County take in billions of gallons of river water every day, but they're also blamed for killing sturgeon and other fish.

Indian Point's owner, the Entergy Corporation, contends that the cooling towers would cost over a billion dollars and force the shutdown of the plant for nearly a year.

The Indian Point power plant is located on 239 acres in Buchanan, Westchester County, New York. The original owner, Consolidated Edison, was one of the first utilities to purchase their own simulator for training the reactor operators and supervisors licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

There are three reactors at the site, Indian Point units 1, 2 and 3. Unit 1 was permanently shut down in 1974. Units 2 and 3 are still in operation. The operating license for Unit 2 was issued in September 1973 and expires in September 2013. The operating license for Unit 3 was issued in December 1975 and expires in December 2015. Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., a subsidiary of Entergy, operates the facility.