Biden administration will lend $1.5B to restart Michigan nuclear power plant, a first in the US

2024-12-26 01:58:36 source:lotradecoin versus other crypto exchanges category:Finance

The federal government will provide a $1.5 billion loan to restart a nuclear power plant in southwestern Michigan, officials announced Wednesday.

Holtec International acquired the 800-megawatt Palisades plant in 2022 with plans to dismantle it. But now the emphasis is on restarting it by late 2025, following support from the state of Michigan and the Biden administration.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said it would be the first nuclear power plant to be reopened in the U.S. It still faces hurdles, including inspections, testing and the blessing of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, known as the NRC.

“Nuclear power is our single largest source of carbon-free electricity, directly supporting 100,000 jobs across the country and hundreds of thousands more indirectly,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, a former Michigan governor.

The Palisades plant is along Lake Michigan, a two-hour drive from Chicago. A Michigan utility, CMS Energy, owned it from 1971 until the plant was sold to Louisiana-based utility Entergy in 2007. It was shut down in 2022.

Holtec said it has long-term commitments so far from two electric cooperatives to buy power from the plant.

READ MORE Dusty May says he hopes to make Michigan enjoyable to watch again Trump tells Michigan’s Republican chair to ramp up outreach to Black voters in Detroit, chair says Dusty May takes over at Michigan, leaving Florida Atlantic after 6 seasons and a Final Four run

“The repowering of Palisades will restore safe, around-the-clock generation to hundreds of thousands of households, businesses and manufacturers,” said Kris Singh, Holtec president and chief executive.

Critics, however, have emerged. A coalition opposed to restarting what it derisively calls a “zombie reactor” has requested a hearing at the NRC.

Holtec spokesman Patrick O’Brien said it will take four to five months to finalize the financial deal with the government.

“It is a loan we have to pay back,” he said.

___

Follow Ed White on X, formerly Twitter, at https://twitter.com/edwritez

More:Finance

Recommend

Stock market today: Asian stocks are mixed ahead of key US inflation data

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were mixed on Wednesday after U.S. indexes drifted lower on Tuesday ah

Clean-Water Plea Suggests New Pennsylvania Governor Won’t Tolerate Violations by Energy Companies, Advocates Say

A settlement of criminal charges against a gas driller that admitted contaminating drinking water in

In Texas, a New Study Will Determine Where Extreme Weather Hazards and Environmental Justice Collide

The way Geeta Persad sees it, the nation’s great coastal cities are facing an environmental reckonin