Walk around Shoreham today and you’ll see a massive, gray industrial skeleton sitting on the edge of the Sound. It looks like a functioning power station. It has the geometry of a billion-dollar energy hub. But it’s basically a ghost. If you live out here, you know the deal, but for everyone else, the story of the nuclear plant Long Island almost had—and the one it currently shares—is a wild mix of bad timing, massive protests, and some of the most expensive mistakes in New York history.
It’s weird.
Shoreham cost about $6 billion. That was 1980s money. Adjusted for inflation today? You’re looking at a figure so high it makes your head spin. And the craziest part is that it never produced a single commercial watt of power. Not one.
Why the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant Became a $6 Billion Paperweight
To understand the nuclear plant Long Island situation, you have to go back to the 1960s. LILCO (Long Island Lighting Company) had big dreams. They saw the population booming in Suffolk County and figured nuclear was the only way to keep the lights on. They broke ground in 1973.
Then Three Mile Island happened in 1979.
The mood shifted instantly. People weren't just worried; they were terrified. The geography of Long Island became the biggest legal weapon for protesters. Think about it. If something goes wrong at a plant in the middle of a massive island with only a couple of major highways leading west toward the city, how do you get millions of people out? You don't. That was the argument from the late Governor Mario Cuomo and local activists.
They argued that a safe evacuation was physically impossible.
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The battle lasted years. It pitted the federal government and LILCO against the state and local residents. Eventually, the state won, but the taxpayers lost. LILCO was basically dismantled, and the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) was born specifically to take over the debt of a plant that was destined to be decommissioned before it ever really started. We’re still paying for that through some of the highest electric rates in the country. Honestly, it’s a bit of a sore spot for anyone who sees their PSEG bill every month.
The Plant That Actually Power Long Island: Millstone
Here is the thing most people get wrong. While Shoreham sits empty, Long Island does rely on nuclear power. It just doesn't come from a nuclear plant Long Island actually hosts on its own soil.
Most of it comes from across the water.
The Millstone Power Station in Waterford, Connecticut, is the silent workhorse for the region. Through the Long Island Sound Study and various undersea cables like the Cross Sound Cable, a significant chunk of the carbon-free electricity used in Nassau and Suffolk comes from Millstone.
- Millstone Unit 2 and Unit 3 provide massive amounts of baseload power.
- The Cross Sound Cable can move about 330 megawatts.
- Without this "imported" nuclear energy, the grid would likely lean much harder on natural gas plants like the ones in Northport or Island Park.
It’s a strange irony. We rejected the plant in our backyard because of evacuation fears but happily plug our toasters into a plant located just 11 miles across the water from Orient Point. If something happened at Millstone, the wind would likely carry the fallout right toward the North Fork anyway.
The Economic Ghost of Shoreham
The decommissioning of Shoreham wasn't just a win for environmentalists; it was a wrecking ball for the local economy in Brookhaven. When a nuclear plant is active, it pays massive property taxes. It funds schools. It builds parks.
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When Shoreham died, the tax burden shifted.
The Shoreham-Wading River School District suddenly faced a crisis. They went from being one of the wealthiest-backed districts to having a massive hole in their budget. The settlement reached to pay off the $6 billion debt involved a "surcharge" on Long Island ratepayers that lasted for decades. Most experts, like those at the Citizens Advisory Panel back in the 90s, pointed out that Long Islanders were essentially paying for a "nuclear tax" without any of the nuclear benefits.
Is Nuclear Ever Coming Back to the Island?
Probably not. At least, not in the way we think of it.
The era of the "Goliath" reactors is mostly over for New York. Indian Point, up the Hudson, was shut down recently, which actually made the state's carbon goals a lot harder to hit. But there is a lot of chatter in the energy sector about Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). These are tiny, factory-built units that are way safer and easier to manage than the behemoths of the 70s.
Would Long Island ever host one?
The political climate says "no way." But the reality of climate change and the push for "Net Zero" by 2040 in New York means we have to get power from somewhere. Currently, the big bet is on offshore wind. You’ve probably seen the massive components being moved through local ports for projects like South Fork Wind.
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But wind is intermittent. Nuclear is constant.
What You Should Know About the Current Energy Mix
If you’re looking at your power bill and wondering why it’s so high, it isn't just because of a dead nuclear plant Long Island couldn't get behind. It's a combination of factors:
- Transmission Costs: Bringing power from upstate or Connecticut through undersea cables is expensive.
- Legacy Debt: We are still technically cleaning up the financial mess of the 1980s energy wars.
- Fuel Volatility: Since we don't have our own nuclear, we rely heavily on natural gas. When gas prices spike globally, your LIPA/PSEG bill spikes locally.
The Shoreham site itself is now partially used for various energy projects, including some solar and battery storage, but a large portion of it remains a monument to a different era. It’s a literal shell.
Actionable Steps for Long Island Residents
Since we aren't getting a new nuclear plant anytime soon, and we're stuck with the high costs of the past, the best thing you can do is manage your own "grid."
- Check the NYSERDA audits. New York State offers free or low-cost energy audits. Since our power is expensive, insulation is literally the best investment you can make.
- Look into Community Solar. You don't need panels on your roof to get "green" credits. Several programs allow Long Islanders to subscribe to local solar farms.
- Understand the "Peak." PSEG Long Island often has "Time of Use" rates. Charging your EV or running the dryer at 2:00 AM instead of 6:00 PM can save you a significant amount over a year.
- Stay Informed on Wind. The offshore wind farms are the "new Shoreham" in terms of scale. Keep an eye on the landing points for those cables in towns like Brookhaven and East Hampton, as they affect local infrastructure.
The story of nuclear on Long Island is really a story about geography and trust. We didn't trust the evacuation plans, and we didn't have the geography to make the regulators happy. Now, we live with the architectural ghost of Shoreham—a $6 billion reminder that in the world of energy, the most expensive power plant is the one you build but never turn on.
To stay updated on local utility hearings or to see the decommissioning status of regional sites, checking the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) filings is your best bet for raw data. They hold the records on exactly how much of your monthly bill is still going toward the ghosts of 1985.