Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said that Holtec International’s Palisades nuclear power plant will play a role in power data centers in Michigan, according to a Monday WKAR article.
Wright, along with Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.), discussed energy plans in Michigan amid the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing closing a $1.6 billion loan with the Michigan utility DTE Gas Company. The loan was given to help bring down electricity prices and modernize natural gas facilities in Michigan.
Wright has said the United States has to win the artificial intelligence (AI) race against China in the process.
Though Wright said he understood that data centers cannot be forced on communities, he said power sources, such as the Palisades Nuclear Plant could help in powering them. Wright expects the Palisades plant to return to service later this year.
Palisades, an 800-megawatt nuclear plant in Covert Township, Mich., is striving to become the first shuttered U.S. reactor to return to full service. The restoration efforts have been backed by a $1.52 billion loan issued by DOE in 2024.