After more than 45 years in production, the Indian Point, 1,020 MW Unit 2 nuclear reactor was shut down last Thursday.  The other operating unit on site, Unit 3, is scheduled to shut down by April 30, 2021.  The shut down was part of a deal reached in January 2017 between Entergy Corp., the state of New York and the environmental group Riverkeeper.

“Over the last 45 years, thousands of dedicated professionals have operated Unit 2 at Indian Point – safely, securely and reliably,” Chris Bakken, Entergy’s chief nuclear officer, said. “We owe each of them our thanks for a job well done and for their commitment to the highest standards of professionalism.”

The two operating reactors annually produced about 25 percent of the electricity for New York City and the lower Hudson Valley and about 10 percent of the electricity supplied to the entire state of New York.

Staffing at the plant will be reduced from about 800 to 300 workers a month after Unit 3 shuts down next year, Nappi said. More than 40 Indian Point employees have already elected to take new jobs in the company, which has offered a relocation option to its employees

An application to transfer ownership to decommissioning company Holtec International is under review at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The plant is to be demolished by the end of 2033 at a projected cost of $2.3 billion.