Palisades Power Plant was shut down in 2022 due to financial constraints and other difficulties.
Now, the Michigan nuclear plant is set to reopen with double its previous power-supplying capacity, making it a frontrunner in the production of nuclear energy for the future of the state and the U.S.
The Palisades Power Plant in Michigan
The Palisades Power Plant is located on the shores of Lake Michigan in Covert, a Midwestern state about 70 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. It provided power to Michigan for over 40 years and was shut down in 2022.
After it shut down, it became a relic and a piece of history, as experts believed that nuclear energy was going to be the future of the state, but not at that time.
Why Did the Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan Shut Down?
The nuclear plant shut down in 2022 as part of a 10-year wave of shutdowns of nuclear and reactor plants in the country. It struggled to compete with natural gas energy, which was renewable, cheap, and abundant.
In addition, there have been many controversies about the power source because of the dangers posed by its waste products and a potential accident that can cause a huge radiation leak.
First Reactor in U.S. History to Reopen
With the plans to reopen the Palisades nuclear energy plant, it will become the first nuclear reactor in the history of the United States to reopen. Holtec International, the private owner and operator of the nuclear plant, is quite ecstatic about reopening it.
With $300 million worth of grants from the state of Michigan and up to $1.5 billion in loans from the Department of Energy, Holtec International is positive that it will reopen the plant by late 2025.
Plans for Reopening
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing Palisades’s reopening plans. If the commission approves the plan, it will mark a significant step in the future production of nuclear energy.
At its peak, it provided energy for over 800,000 homes in Michigan and now, it hopes to expand its reach when it reopens in October 2025 due to the increased demand for electricity in the state by the rise of electric vehicles.
The Nuclear Plant’s Goals
Kelly Trice, the president and CEO of Holtec said that the goal of the company is “to be able to increase plants in the country and elsewhere in the world with small modular reactors.” The CEO also noted that another goal the company has is to be the first of its kind by increasing its output to 1,400 megawatts by introducing two additional 300-megawatt small molecular reactors (SMRs) by 2030.
“Our goal is to be on the grid first. We want to show that nuclear power can be not just viable but central to our future energy landscape,” he said.
Michigan Governor’s Push
Holtec bought Palisades in 2022 with the intention of completely dismantling the nuclear plant after Entergy, its former owner, shut it down due to financial constraints. However, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was not going to sit by and watch it happen.
Instead, she signed a bipartisan bill that helped Palisades gain political support and provided the company with funding. This is part of her push for the state to have strictly clean energy sources by 2040.
Historic Growth of Electrical Demand
The entire country has seen a historic growth in electricity demand in the past few years. This can be attributed to the increase in data centers that support artificial intelligence, the increased use of electric vehicles over gas-powered ones, and the return of domestic manufacturing in the country.
Data centers and EVs will be expected to boost demand by 290 terawatt hours by 2030, and these high electrical demands can only be met with high electricity production.
Nuclear Energy Is More Dependable Than Solar and Wind But Expensive
According to experts, nuclear energy is the most dependable source of power the world has ever seen, but it is also the most expensive. This is because it can operate at a maximum power of 93% without emitting carbon dioxide and harmful gases into the environment. It is also three times more reliable than wind energy and almost four times more expensive than solar power.
With the country’s high demand, experts believe that nuclear energy is the only way to produce such a high power supply without causing serious environmental damage.
Does Michigan Have Any Nuclear Power Plants?
Michigan currently has three nuclear plants, two of which are still in operation. The Fermi 2 Power Plant and the Cook Nuclear Plant are in operation, while the only non-operational one, the Palisades Power Plant, is under review for reopening after the NRC completes its environmental assessment.
The Fermi 2 Power Plant is run by DTE Energy and is located on Lake Erie, near Monroe, while the Cook Plant is run by American Electric Power and is on Lake Michigan in Berrien County.
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What Is the Energy Source for Most Nuclear Power Plants?
Nuclear power plants are the cleanest and most reliable sources of renewable energy because they are safe for the environment. The main source of energy for nuclear plants is uranium.
This is the fuel that nuclear plants use to create nuclear energy because its atoms split very easily. U-235 is the specific type of uranium used in nuclear plants, and it is rare compared to the other versions of the element.
What Are the Effects on the Environment Using and Building a Nuclear Power Plant?
Nuclear plants do not emit carbon dioxide that causes climate change when creating nuclear energy. However, it creates something else that some people consider to be much worse than that. While creating nuclear energy, radioactive waste is being produced simultaneously.
If released into the environment, these materials can be very harmful to humans and all living things. If a particular place is contaminated, it could remain dangerous for thousands of years, and this is a huge topic of debate against nuclear power.
What Is the Best Environment for a Nuclear Power Plant?
You may have noticed that all three nuclear plants mentioned above were situated close to large water bodies. This is not a coincidence but a deliberate act. Nuclear power plants need large quantities of cooking water due to the high heat discharge of nuclear particles.
Therefore, they are built on the shores of water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or even oceans to keep the entire plant from overheating and causing severe damage to the plant and its workers.
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