COVERT TOWNSHIP, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer is calling for federal investment to protect 600 jobs at Palisades Power Plant while at the same time, lowering energy costs and shoring up Michigan’s energy needs.
The Governor on Wednesday, April 20, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy after they published guidance on the first round of funding for the Civil Nuclear Credit program.
In the letter, Whitmer urged the deployment of federal resources from the CNC to keep Palisades, a nuclear energy facility in Covert Township open. The Southwest Michigan plant currently has 600 employees on staff and provides enough energy to power around 800,000 Michigan homes.
In a statement, Whitmer said, “Keeping Palisades open is a top priority. Doing so will allow us to shore up Michigan’s energy supply to prevent price spikes on working families and small businesses, make Michigan more competitive for economic development projects bringing billions in investment, protect hundreds of good-paying jobs for Michiganders, and meet our climate goals.”
The full letter is available here:
Palisades is a nuclear energy facility in Covert Township with a license to operate until 2031. It’s currently owned by Entergy and the power is purchased by Consumers Energy.
Palisades is currently in the process of being decommissioned with a shutdown date of May 31, 2022, when its current fuel supply runs out. After shutdown, the plant is set to be sold to Holtec Decommissioning International with a closing date of no later than June 30, 2022.
