Nick Culp, Holtec’s Communications Director & Mick Middaugh, & Public Relations Director

Mick gave us a review of Holtec’s history with the Palisades Nuclear Plant. In 2022, Holtec bought Pallisades with the aim of decommissioning it. With the shift in political winds and the desire for clean energy, Holtec instead decided to attempt to re-commission Palisades, even though the nuclear fuel had already been removed. The owner of Holtec came up with $400 million, and the government gave him a $1.52 billion loan! So, for a little more than $2 billion, Pallisades will re-open! (A new nuclear plant proposed for Georgia is being built for $30 billion consortium in Michigan to promise to buy the energy produced over the next 25-30 years. The change in administrations has not altered the desire for clean energy and job opportunities. The Pallisades Nuclear Plant is still scheduled to start producing energy by October of this year! 

Nick told us that as recently as yesterday, the Dept of Energy (DOE) has indicated that they still support the opening of Pallisades, along with a 2nd loan payout. Nick said that they are in the process of starting 2 Small Modular Reactors (SMR) by 2030. Nick summed it all up by saying, “We are on time and under budget for this project!”