New York will develop and construct an advanced nuclear plant upstate to help power a new generation of prosperity in the age of semiconductor manufacturing and artificial intelligence, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday morning at the Niagara Power Project in Niagara County.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) will help identify a site and host community for the project upstate, Hochul said, adding that New York state is looking for private partners for the project, will help finance the plant and buy power it generates.

“Harnessing the power of the atom is the best way to generate steady, zero-emission electricity" to help New York transition from fossil fuels, Hochul said Monday.

The power authority and Department of Public Service seeks to develop at least one new nuclear energy facility with a capacity of at least one gigawatt of electricity to support the state's electric grid.

The project would generate 1,600 jobs during construction and 1,200 permanent jobs, Hochul said. 

"The industries of the future, advanced manufacturing, AI, semi-conductor manufacturing — they don’t run on dreams, they need power," Hochul said. 

The state risks losing opportunities like the Micron project in Central New York without reliable power, the governor said.

State Sen. Liz Krueger released a statement Monday in response to the governor’s announcement, saying critical financing and environmental questions must be answered before significant public money is committed to developing more nuclear power.

"I will be keeping a close eye on the process that NYPA is undertaking to ensure that it is thorough, transparent, and unbiased, and responsive to New Yorkers’ input," Krueger said.

In her State of the State address this year, Hochul proposed a “Master Plan Process for Advanced Nuclear Energy."

But a coalition of environmentalists dumped on Hochul’s plan Monday in a joint statement.

“Nuclear is an expensive, false climate solution that has major environmental problems including the processing and disposal of its uranium fuel," said Mark Dunlea, chair of the Green Education and Legal Fund.

“Nuclear energy is a bad investment,” stated Deborah Porder with Indivisible Scarsdale. “It is the most expensive form of energy and we all subsidize it. Every community that has a reactor becomes a permanent nuclear waste dump."