Breaking: DOE rejects Holtec’s bid to reopen Palisades
“The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) rejected Holtec International’s application for funding to reopen the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan,” a Holtec spokesperson told Reuters today (Nov. 18).
Holtec, which is supposed to be decommissioning the Palisades reactor, had instead made a bid to secure federal funds to reopen it, even though the company does not have an operating license for the plant and has never run a nuclear power plant.
Beyond Nuclear has been calling for the permanent closure of Palisades, which appeared to have happened in May before Holtec, which bought the 805 megawatt reactor with the intent to decommission it, instead made a play for a share of the DOE’s $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit program.
The Reuters article, which also pointed out that “Nuclear power produces toxic waste, currently held at 28 plants across the country,” quoted an earlier opinion from research group, ClearView Energy Partners, who had predicted Palisades would not be allowed to reopen, given the plant “was out of nuclear fuel, faced a control rod drive seal issue that needed to be fixed and likely needed a new company to operate it, as well as a buyer for the power it generates.”
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