Reports are emerging that 23 miles outside of New York City leaks of radioactive material from the Indian Point Energy Center are increasing (archived). This base load power station contributes 2 Gigawatts of electricity to its service area in New York City and Westchester county from two pressurized water reactors built by Westinghouse. The two operating reactors were completed in 1974 and 1976 respectively and are a substantial reason for New York City's relatively affordable electricity prices. The increasing rate of leaked radioactive materials suggests that Indian Point may be entering a state of disrepair which would deny the New York City area the benefits of a well-run nuclear power plant on their electric grid. The twin dilemmas of a sinking energy extraction industry and failing nuclear power infrastructure may fertilize the ground sufficiently for a politically driven electrical energy crisis prominently featuring terms like "smart grid" and "single national electricity distribution grid" in the vocabulary.