An effort by Holtec International to secure federal support to reopen the Palisades nuclear power plant has the backing of the South Haven City Council. At a meeting this week, City Manager Kate Hosier told the council Holtec has reapplied for funds to restart the plant through the Department of Energy’s Civil Nuclear Credit Program. A resolution from the council stated its support with Hosier noting the economic effects of the plant closure.
“This is an opportunity for us to look at reopening Palisades, and while we are not the community that Palisades is located in, it is noted in the staff report, the letter of support, and the resolution, a plurality of the workers came from this community,” Hosier said. “We know how the closure is starting to affect restaurants. Maybe you’ve noticed there are not as many open this time of year.”
Hosier also said restarting Palisades would help the region meet its energy needs at a time when emission free power sources are desired. Plus, she said it’s tremendously expensive to build a new plant from scratch. The city council approved the resolution in support of Holtec’s application. Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Van Buren County Board of Commissioners have both supported the effort to reopen Palisades.
