COVERT (WKZO-AM) — Operators are planning to shutter the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert in October 2018.
Plant owner Entergy said in a press release Thursday they have agreed to terminate their power purchase agreement with Consumers Energy.
Regulators still must approve the agreement.
“Entergy recognizes the consequences of a Palisades shutdown for our approximately 600 employees who have run the plant safely and reliably, and for the surrounding community, and we will work closely with both to provide support during the transition,” CEO Leo Denault said in a press release.
Entergy says it and Consumers Energy will provide $10 million over several years in economic development funding for southwest Michigan.
“The announcement by Entergy of the premature closing of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant is not just a punch in the stomach to the hard-working employees and to our community, but it also puts Michigan’s energy future at greater risk,” Rep. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, said in a press release. “I call on Entergy to reconsider its decision to prematurely close Palisades and work with the state to find a solution to keep Palisades open and producing reliable, emission-free energy.”
Consumers was set to buy nearly all power from the plant through 2022. The deal will now terminate in May 2018.
Officials with the company say Consumers will try to find work for up to 180 of the plant’s employees. Others will be offered positions at other Entergy facilities in the south.
