News, Culture and NPR for Central & Northern Michigan
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
91.7FM Alpena and WCML-TV Channel 6 Alpena have been restored. Click here to learn more.

A $1.5 billion conditional loan brings Holtec closer to reopening Palisades

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at the Department of Energy Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022.
Benjamin Applebaum
/
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at the Department of Energy Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022.

The loan marks a major step forward in the effort to restart the nuclear plant.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Governor Gretchen Whitmer toured the Palisades Nuclear Plant Wednesday. During the visit, they announced that the Department of Energy has conditionally approved a $1.5 billion loan to Holtec International, which owns the shuttered plant in Covert.

Holtec wants to restart Palisades and it says the loan is vital to that effort.

The plant closed in May 2022. It’s up to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to decide whether Palisades can reopen.

If it does, Palisades could become the first U.S. nuclear plant to restart.

The DOE says Holtec must meet certain legal, environmental and other conditions to receive the loan.

Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.

Report for America national service program corps member Michael Symonds joined WMUK’s staff in 2023.