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[Update] An early report on the negotiations between Rochester Gas & Electric and Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, owners of the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, says that the regional utility company has gone in a different direction, proposing a plan that could push the plant closer to closure.

The New York Public Service Commission ordered the plant's owners and RG&E to negotiate a new reliability support services agreement on concerns that closure of the nuclear plant would threaten stability of the local electricity grid. But the commission allowed that an alternate plan could be proposed and, while the first RSSA deadline has come and gone, RG&E has proposed beefing up its grid infrastructure, which would allow the company to import electricity from other sources, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported.

The PSA has allowed the two companies to extend negotiations past an initial Jan. 15 deadline with a second deadline set for Feb. 6. Meanwhile, RG&E has already filed an alternate plan calling for upgrades that would allow the utility to nearly double the amount of electricity that could be handled at a major distribution substation in Perinton, N.Y.

The utility also planned other upgrades that reportedly would alleviate concerns of grid unreliability. This was reportedly a gain for consumers as it would allow RG&E customers to avoid paying premium prices associated with Ginna power, the newspaper said.

The utility's proposal called for three transformers to be installed at the substation, including two that were on order and a spare the company already had available.

The proposal was submitted in late December. Ginna's fate, meanwhile, hangs in the balance. It is one of the country's oldest nuclear power plants, having begun operation in 1970. Its operation license, however, is not set to expire until Sept. 18, 2029.