The governor of Michigan late last week announced that the company in charge of decommissioning a recently-shuttered nuclear power plant had applied for a federal bailout to restart the facility, according to a press release.
Holtec International, which officially took ownership of Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in June from former operator Entergy, has submitted a bid to receive part of the Department of Energy’s first payout under its roughly $6 billion civil nuclear credits program, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said in a press release dated Friday.
“Keeping Palisades open is a top priority for the State of Michigan,” Whitmer said in a Friday letter to energy secretary Jennifer Granholm. “Today, because of the actions of Holtec, we have a path forward to save Palisades, secure 1,700 jobs, and help fight climate change by generating more clean energy.”
If DOE grants Holtec a credit for Palisades, Lansing plans to take steps to help the plant restart, “including identifying state funding and facilitating a power purchase agreement,” Whitmer said.
In a statement provided to Exchange Monitor Sunday, Holtec said that it would “work with the State, Federal Government, and a yet to be identified third-party operator to see if this is a viable option.”
The company listed a number of challenges standing in the way of a Palisades restart, including a “financial commitment from the State of Michigan,” as well as required maintenance and staffing. The plant shut down May 20.
While it was still operating, Palisades employed around 600 people. Former operator Entergy told Exchange Monitor in April that around 260 workers, around 40%, would remain on-site “as part of the first phase of decommissioning.” Of the 334 employees not staying at Palisades, around 130 relocated to other roles within the company and 180 or so separated from Entergy completely.
A spokesperson for Holtec told Exchange Monitor Sunday that staffing at the plant, if it were to reopen, is “to be determined.”
“While our expertise in decommissioning was the main driver to acquiring the plant, we remain committed to assisting the State of Michigan and the country at large maintain clean, carbon-free energy production sources to meet the country’s energy needs,” Holtec said Sunday.
