Michigan Governor Backs Effort To Reopen Nuclear Power Plant

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
September 15, 2022

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy in support of Holtec International’s application for a federal grant under the Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) program that would keep the Palisades nuclear power plant in Southwest Michigan operational.

On May 20, the 800-megawatt plant’s former owner, Entergy, made the decision 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 investor-owned Consumers Energy expired. The plant was sold to Holtec Decommissioning International in June 2022.

“With your support, Holtec plans to repower and reopen the Palisades,” Whitmer wrote in the Sept. 9 letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

Holtec International applied for a CNC on July 5 in an effort to keep Palisades open.

If Holtec is approved for a CNC, Michigan is ready to support the company by identifying state funding and facilitating a power purchase agreement, Whitmer’s office said.

California Lawmakers Approve Legislation That Allows For Nuclear Plant’s Continued Operation

In related news, California lawmakers recently voted to approve legislation that allows for the possible extension of the operation of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP), California’s only remaining operating nuclear power plant.

The vote to approve the measure followed on the heels of a recent California Senate Committee hearing related to the possible extension of the operation of the DCPP.