WE NEED HIM BACK: The United State government have decided to sell the michigan State Spartans
WE NEED HIM BACK: The United State government have decided to sell the michigan State Spartans
According to announcements made by authorities on Wednesday, the federal government will lend $1.5 billion to restart a nuclear power facility in southwest Michigan.
In 2022, Holtec International purchased the 800-megawatt Palisades plant with the intention of demolishing it. However, the focus currently is on getting it going again by the end of 2025, with backing from the state of Michigan and the Biden administration.
It will be the first nuclear power plant in the United States to restart, according to Governor Gretchen Whitmer. There are still obstacles to overcome, such as testing, inspections, and approval from the NRC (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission).
The former governor of Michigan and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated, “Our single largest source of carbon-free electricity is nuclear power, directly supporting 100,000 jobs across the country and hundreds of thousands more indirectly.”
Chicago is two hours away from the Palisades plant, which is situated beside Lake Michigan. It was owned by CMS Energy, a Michigan utility, from 1971 until 2007, when it was purchased by Entergy, a Louisiana utility. In 2022, it was shut down.
According to Holtec, two electric cooperatives have already made long-term contracts to purchase power from the facility.
According to Kris Singh, president and CEO of Holtec, “the repowering of Palisades will restore safe, around-the-clock generation to hundreds of thousands of households, businesses, and manufacturers.”
Nonetheless, detractors have surfaced. A coalition has asked the NRC for a hearing because it is against the resumption of what it mockingly refers to as a “zombie reactor.”
The financial agreement with the government will be finalized in four to five months, according to Holtec spokesman Patrick O’Brien.
He declared, “It’s a loan we have to repay.”
The focus is on nuclear energy. Last Thursday, thirty-four nations—among them, the United States—promised to utilize it to lessen their need for fossil fuels. In an effort to prevent blackouts as the state moves toward renewable energy sources, California authorities said in December that the Diablo Canyon facility might continue to run through 2030 as opposed to 2025. Federal assistance aided in repaying a state debt, according to the owner, Pacific Gas & Electric.
According to Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California who has visited nuclear power facilities all over the world, “there is more enthusiasm toward nuclear power—in Congress, in the industry, and also internationally.”
However, he noted that restarting a facility is not simple.
With regard to Palisades, Meshkati stated, “It places the onus and burden on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Holtec to double down on efforts to ensure this plant is safe enough and all the safety measures are intact.”
