New York's tech future could be powered by onsite nuclear, Hochul says

And who could replace Stefanik? Here's who's on the shortlist.

Good afternoon — it’s Wednesday and World Kindness Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• Hochul said in a conversation with Hillary Clinton Wednesday that nuclear energy could power New York’s burgeoning tech industry.

• Here’s who could replace Rep. Elise Stefanik, who’s heading to the Trump administration.

• Rep. Pat Ryan is already asking Trump to make good on a campaign promise that would have a big impact in New York.

• Hochul is asking Amtrak to rethink its indefinite reduction of round trips between Albany and New York City.

• CDPAP advocates brought their fight to Albany Wednesday.

• On The Bill: Studying the cost of New York’s energy transition.

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Just two New Yorkers (New York Governor’s Office)

⚡ Hochul says New York needs more power to become the next Silicon Valley

And by power, I don’t mean political. We’re talking about electricity.

Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a “fireside chat” this morning about cybersecurity and New York’s technology future.

We heard a lot of what you would expect. Hochul said she wants New York to be the next tech center in the U.S. and touted her efforts to make that happen. Think Micron and the new supercomputer that just opened at the University at Albany.

But something caught my ear that I thought would be of interest: how Hochul says big tech companies might bring their own power with them to set up shop in the Empire State — and it could be nuclear.

“We’re creating this whole innovation corridor,” Hochul said. “The power that I’m generating from the New York Power Authority, which is generated from Niagara Falls, can do a lot of it, but not all of it.”

That creates a gap that must be filled to attract more tech companies, which use substantially more energy than other businesses because of the power demands of artificial intelligence, servers and supercomputing.

New York is at the start of its anticipated transition to zero-emission electricity, which is required by 2040 under the state’s Climate Act. 

So not only do we have to figure out how to power that, the energy needed by the state’s burgeoning tech industry will require “creative solutions,” Hochul said.

And without a solution to that problem, the cost could land in utility bills, Clinton said.

“If these companies are literally taking over power generation the way our current system operates, that all goes into the base for ratepayers,” Clinton said.

“So ratepayers are going to be allocated a significant additional charge because Microsoft or Amazon or open AI or whoever it is is now just stressing the power grid,” she continued.

Hochul and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (New York Governor’s Office)

🔋 Tech companies could bring their own nuclear reactors.

Hochul said she’s already spoken with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about the state’s anticipated energy needs and the impact on consumers. That turned into a conversation about nuclear energy.