A recently decommissioned nuclear power plant in southwest Michigan might reopen and some implications could be drawn that similar plans might be coming to a former plant in Northern Michigan.
Holtec International is the largest decommissioning company in the United States for nuclear reactors, and is also the owner of Palisades and Big Rock Nuclear Power Plants. Holtec acquired the plants in early 2022 to continue decommission efforts and manage the remaining spent nuclear fuel.
However, for the first time in U.S. history they are attempting to reopen a plant (Palisades) after decommissioning it.
Palisades is near South Haven in Van Buren County. They’ve put in a loan request to the Department of Energy and asked for grants from the state to repower the plant. They say it will take that funding and at least two years and 600 employees to get the plant up and running again.
With Holtec’s attempt at reopening Palisades they could also repower Big Rock Point. Holtec’s director of government affairs and communications, Patrick O’Brien, says there have been instances where plants that have been shutdown for multiple years have restarted. However, he says they have no plans to do so.
“Big Rock is a way different situation. Palisades shutdown last year, but Big Rock is fully decommissioned down to a spent fuel storage space installation in one building just a completely different situation and not something we would look to do up there,” O’Brien explains.
Operations at Big Rock Point were permanently ceased August 29, 1997, with remediation of the site being completed Aug. 29, 2006.
Holtec will continue to manage the spent nuclear fuel at Big Rock and are hopeful with their plans for Palisades.
