LANSING, Michigan: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in order to save jobs and help curb climate change, she wants the 805-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant to reopen.
However, the owner of the plant, Holtec International, said there are many hurdles that must be faced to save it. The process for saving the plant is “murky at best,” said ClearView Energy Partners, a non-partisan research group.
Holtec International bought the plant in May to decommission it, which is a long and expensive process, but it has applied for funding in a U.S. Department of Energy program to keep the plant running after a resurgence in interest in low-emission power generation.
In a letter last week, Whitmer urged U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to keep Palisades open to save 600 high-paying union jobs at the plant and 1,100 local jobs it supports.
However, ClearView Energy Partners said then plant’s closure is “likely to be permanent.”
According to ClearView, the plant is out of nuclear fuel, faces a control rod drive seal issue, and may need a new company to operate it and a buyer for the power it generates.
Holtec noted that “there are a number of hurdles to restarting the facility that would need to be bridged,” but called the application an initial step.
It will work with the state, federal government and a potential third- party operator to see if restarting is a “viable option,” the company added.
According to the Department Of Energy, it could not comment on applications to the CNC program, which is funded by last year’s bipartisan infrastructure bill.
