With the federal government now shut down, will the project to restart the Palisades nuclear power plant in Van Buren County be affected?
Nick Culp with Holtec International tells us they’re not expecting any effect on the restart.
“We’re very confident our funding stream is secure,” Culp said. “This is obviously a very big priority for the Energy Department and for the administration, both in D.C. and in Lansing. And so we’re full steam ahead on the restart project so far. No conversations about scaling back or pausing work.”
Culp says Holtec doesn’t want to speculate about what might happen if the closure is prolonged, but they still don’t consider impacts on the Palisades project to be likely.
Culp says he can’t speak to the shutdown’s effects on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees Palisades and will need to approve any restart before it happens. The NRC says it is technically shut down due to the lapse in appropriations, but activities to maintain health and safety continue. Also, on site inspectors remain on the job.
Meanwhile, Culp tells us everything remains on track at the plant in Covert with final phase work ongoing. The goal remains to refire the plant by the end of the year.
