WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — If the Indian Point nuclear power plants are shut down, higher electricity costs will deliver a major blow to New York’s economy, costing tens of thousands of jobs a year, a research organization predicted Tuesday.

The report from the fiscally conservative Manhattan Institute said that with power demands rising and constraints on importing electricity, higher-cost alternatives would have to be developed to replace Indian Point’s 2,000 megawatts. No matter the generation type, from gas-fired plants to windmills, alternatives would cost more than Indian Point, it said.