New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced $40m in new annual workforce development funding over the next four years from the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to develop the workforce needed to support advanced nuclear energy in Upstate New York. The funding will directly support the Governor’s call in June for the NYPA to develop at least 1 GWe of advanced nuclear power in Upstate New York.
The NYPA Board also awarded a total of $4m to universities and organisations to develop and expand programmes to support development of careers in artificial intelligence (AI), electromechanical trades, and advanced power systems to meet the evolving needs of the renewable energy sector.
“New York is leading the clean energy revolution, and NYPA is powering that progress with bold investments in workforce development,” Governor Hochul said. “By investing in the advanced nuclear workforce and expanding access to affordable, hands-on training in AI and advanced energy systems, we’re preparing New Yorkers for the high-quality, high-demand jobs of tomorrow and ensuring every community can share in the benefits of a cleaner, more equitable energy future.”
Beginning in 2026, NYPA will partner with qualified workforce development providers, including technical high schools, community colleges, universities, labour unions, and others to utilise the $40m to develop nuclear energy technical training, retraining, coursework and apprenticeship programmes to prepare workers for employment in the advanced nuclear energy field.
“New York’s clean-energy transition only works if it comes with real career opportunities for the people who live in our communities,” said NYPA President and CEO Justin E Driscoll. “Building on the success of our annual investment of up to $25m for clean energy training to support the renewable energy sector, the Power Authority will add up to $40m over four years to develop and retrain the workforce necessary to support advanced nuclear power, providing more opportunities for New Yorkers to pursue careers in this high-demand industry.”
The Power Authority’s approval of $4m for clean energy workforce training stems from a commitment of up to $25m annually, as outlined in the 2023-24 Enacted State Budget. The budget legislation also directed NYPA to advance renewable energy projects that will strengthen New York’s electric grid with a portfolio of diversified energy resources. Since 2024, NYPA has obligated more than $41m for clean energy training programmes, supporting more than 1,700 trainees and more than 30 workforce training organisations statewide.
The NYPA Board of Trustees approved the following awards:
The Healthy Home Academy (Brewster, NY): $911,000 to support classroom and hands-on learning experiences in home performance, high efficiency heating, ventilation, air conditioning and heat pumps.
The State University of New York at Buffalo (UB): $832,000 to establish an AI fellowship programme with the New York Power Authority and UB’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (IAD) to build a workforce pipeline and allow students to work alongside NYPA experts to address key challenges for the state in the clean energy industry.
The Green Launchpad (Statewide): $734,000 to expand a comprehensive programme that includes clean energy building fundamentals, hands-on labs, advanced technical training, and career services.
Genesee Valley BOCES (Mount Morris, NY): $677,000 to create an electro-mechanical trades programme at the Charles G May Center and to expand an existing programme at its Batavia campus.
The State University of New York at Stony Brook: $644,000 to launch the University’s inaugural Power Pathways Workforce Readiness programme, which will train students in both trade-based and advanced technology disciplines.
The State University of New York at Binghamton: $203,000 to support the development and instruction of two new courses – Systems Dynamics and Simulation and Fundamentals of Power Systems as well as expand experiential learning opportunities and paid industry internships.
