The Palisades has been shut down for two years. It will be the first nuclear power plant to be reopened in the United States. It will provide power to households, manufacturers, and businesses, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
“Not only is nuclear our single largest source of carbon-free electricity it’s one of our single largest sources of electricity period,” said Jennifer Granholm, United States Secretary of Energy.
The power plant sits along Lake Michigan, near South Haven. It’s owned by Holtec International, a company that originally had plans to dismantle it.
“It’s been a bit of a journey the past two years going from operating to decommissioning...to hey there’s a slim chance that we might be restarting the plant,” said Mark Johnson, Palisades Operator.
That slim chance is now a possibility, but the 1.5 billion dollars in federal funding is contingent on passing thorough inspections, testing, and the approval of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“Once operational Palisades will provide reliable power to more than 800-thousand homes and help us meet our statewide clean energy goals by removing 3 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually. Roughly equal to the emissions of 650 thousand cars,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The reopening will also protect 600 jobs at the plant and 1,100 more in the community, driving 363 million dollars of regional economic impact.
“This is a big win for America. A big win for the nation,” said Jennifer Granholm.
While many are excited about the plant’s restart, critics have raised concerns about the “Zombie Reactor.”
