AP photo Nine Mile Point Clean Energy Center nuclear power plant in Scriba near Oswego is pictured.

The city of Dunkirk is “putting some finishing touches” on an application expressing interest in a state-backed nuclear project, Planning and Development Director Vince DeJoy said Tuesday.

DeJoy waved a draft of the application at the end of a Common Council Economic Development Committee Meeting. “We’re planting a flag that the community is interested,” he said.

DeJoy did not discuss the application’s contents.

Gov. Kathy Hochul in June called on the New York Power Authority to develop at least 1 GW of nuclear capacity in upstate to address growing reliability, affordability and clean energy capacity concerns. Applications of interest to the power authority are due today.

Chautauqua County and city of Dunkirk officials have focused on a repurposing of the former NRG power plant near Point Gratiot as a possibility for the nuclear project.

First Ward Councilwoman Natalie Luczkowiak is skeptical of the safety of such a project on the Lake Erie waterfront, and repeated her concerns Tuesday. Luczkowiak chairs the Economic Development Committee.

“People, they’re just saying, ‘What?'” she claimed of Dunkirk residents’ reaction to a possible nuclear project in the city.

“I’m not convinced it’s safe for future generations, and our water,” she said, adding that when it comes to the city application, “I’ve been telling people we just want to keep ourselves on the list.”

DeJoy did not really respond to Luczkowiak’s comments, except for repeating, “We’re planting the flag.”

Responses from Dunkirk and other communities will help NYPA and potential development partners identify and prioritize communities that are both technically suitable and willing to host a nuclear facility.

Efforts for finding a location for a nuclear site are early in the process. New York state is hoping to have a path to delivering 1 GW of advanced nuclear capacity as soon as possible. However, the Request for Information for interested developers notes the hope of construction beginning by 2033.

NRG remains in possession of the dormant facility at the moment. However, county officials have indicated they have been in communication with the company since it ceased operations at the location in 2016.

Constellation Energy owns Nine Mile Point Units 1 and 2 and the James A. FitzPatrick plants located in Oswego County along the Lake Ontario waterfront. Those sites have been in operation since 1970.