Fort Drum, the U.S. Army base outside Watertown, could become the first New York site to try advanced nuclear power technology if the Army goes along with pleas from Congressional representatives.
U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik and Claudia Tenney, both Upstate Republicans, issued a joint letter Oct. 25 urging the Army to put Fort Drum first in line for one of the small modular nuclear reactors that President Joe Biden and Department of Defense officials are promoting as a clean source of resilient energy.
Stefanik and Tenney cited a recent study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which they said concluded that a small modular reactor would be “the optimal option to fortify Fort Drum’s secure access to energy.”
Their pitch to the Army comes as New York energy officials examine the potential for advanced nuclear reactors to replace fossil fuel power plants and help eliminate carbon emissions from the electric grid. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority plans to issue a “blueprint” for potential nuclear development early next year.
There are several types of small modular nuclear reactors under development – all much smaller than traditional units like those in Oswego County -- but most are considered years away from commercial deployment.
Fort Drum had its own power supply until last year, when the owners of a wood-burning power plant that supplied the base shut the plant down after failing to win renewed state subsidies. In a sign of the state’s evolving energy priorities, “biomass’' fuels such as wood were excluded from the definition of renewable power in 2019, after having been included for years until then.
ReEnergy Black River LLC, owner of the 60-megawatt wood-burning plant at Fort Drum, shut the facility in April 2023 after the expiration of subsidy payments funded by utility ratepayers to support renewable energy. The facility had provided electricity directly to Fort Drum since 2014, under a 20-year contract with the Army worth up to $289 million.
Fort Drum currently draws electricity from the power grid. But the Army is interested it restoring a dedicated source to provide greater resiliency, said Katherine Wright, deputy public affairs officer.
According to Tenney and Stefanik, the Army Corps study looked at how to replace Fort Drum’s dedicated power source. Fort Drum officials would not immediately release the report, citing security concerns. Syracuse.com has requested the document under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Biden Administration has pushed aggressively to expand the role of nuclear energy in both commercial and military operations.
In June, the Army solicited information from nuclear companies for a project to supply modular and/or micro-reactors at multiple bases. The Army is also working with Idaho National Laboratory to develop transportable reactors. This month, the Navy requested information from developers to install nuclear or other “clean energy generation” on under-utilized military lands.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has expressed an interest in exploring the potential for new nuclear power in New York. The governor hosted an energy summit last month in Syracuse that focused heavily on nuclear power.
Hochul met with military officials Aug. 13 at Fort Drum, where she hosted a roundtable on cell phones in schools. She has not commented publicly on the possibility of implementing a small nuclear reactor at the military base.
Home to the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum has about 15,000 soldiers and 3,700 civilian workers.
Staff writer Tim Knauss can be reached at: email | Twitter | 315-470-3023.
