Holtec Decommissioning International purchased the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant last June with the intention of decommissioning it after the previous owner shut it down. Fuel was removed from the reactor core, and federal regulators were notified of the permanent power shutdown.
But Holtke, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the Lake Michigan community — Where Palisades has been a pillar of the economy for 50 years – With the support of its leaders, it quickly launched a campaign to restart the power plant.
The 800-megawatt facility produced nearly 5 percent of the state’s electricity generation.
“Keeping the Palisades open is vital to Michigan’s competitiveness and future economic development opportunities.“- Governor Whitmer wrote in a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm asking for federal support to restart, according to The Guardian. AP News.
Will it be dangerous?
Activists who have long criticized Palisades say Holtec’s plan is dangerous and oppose restarting the plant.
Mechanical problems that have been around for years, such as the vulnerability of nuclear fuel tanks, are cited as the main counterarguments. They state that the power plant was shut down in 2022 by its previous owner, Entergy, two weeks earlier than planned, because the seal on the equipment controlling the nuclear reaction was in very poor condition.
This is an unpredictable risk factor
said Kevin Camps, a radioactive waste expert at Beyond Nuclear Group, who has vowed to fight the proposal by all means.
