Palisades Nuclear Plant to Reopen

Published on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Electric Reliability

Our power supplier, Wolverine Power Cooperative, has entered into a historic agreement with Holtec International to restart the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in southwest Michigan.

Palisades closed in May 2022, and the plant was sold to Holtec. In September, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her support to restart the nuclear power plant to keep energy costs low, shore up domestic energy production, and increase Michigan’s competitiveness for future economic development.

Wolverine Power Cooperative expects to purchase up to two-thirds of the power generated from Palisades. This is a huge step towards ensuring we can provide you with reliable and green power for years to come.

Electric Reliability

While sun and wind energy sources are vital to our transition to a greener future, they are weather-dependent. The sun doesn’t always shine, the wind doesn’t always blow, and battery technology can’t yet fill the gap. That’s a huge problem for keeping the lights on. However, the reopening of Palisades will help ensure electric reliability when we need it most: during peak demand or challenging weather conditions.

Decarbonization

Nuclear energy is a well-established and dependable source of electricity, and it's completely carbon-free.

Economic Benefits

The restart of Palisades will protect hundreds of high-paying jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual regional economic development. It will also help Wolverine avoid some of the expected volatility of the power supply market over the next 10-15 years.

This marks the first time in American history that a nuclear plant could reopen. This is a huge win for the state of Michigan, the environment, and you.