LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy on Friday, September 9, in support of Holtec International’s application for a federal grant under the Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) program to save the Palisades Nuclear Facility in Covert.
“Keeping Palisades open will keep energy costs low, shore up domestic energy production, and increase Michigan’s competitiveness for future economic development,” said Whitmer. “I am proud to write in support of Holtec International’s application for a Civil Nuclear Credit that—if granted—will empower us to keep fighting for economic opportunity for Southwest Michigan and protect 1,700 local jobs. The Palisades Nuclear Facility meets the criteria for this program and keeping it open will help us produce enough clean, reliable energy in Michigan to power hundreds of thousands of homes and small businesses. While we await a final decision from the Department of Energy, we will continue efforts at the state level to create and protect good-paying jobs, compete for more economic development opportunities, and boost domestic energy production.”
Palisades is a union plant in Southwest Michigan that employed 600 workers making an average of $117,845 while the plant was in operation, supported over 1,100 additional local jobs, generated $363 million in regional economic development every year, and produced more than 800 megawatts of power.
The plant’s former owner, Entergy, made the decision on May 20, to close the plant 11 days ahead of the planned May 31 shutdown “due to the performance of a control rod drive seal.”
The Palisades plant was shut down on May 20, when its current fuel supply ran out and the power purchase agreement with Consumers Energy expired.
The plant was sold to Holtec Decommissioning International in June 2022.
The full letter can be found here.
