COVERT, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Another step in the mothballing of the Palisades Power Plant has been taken.
The operator of the Covert-based nuclear power facility, Entergy, announced on Wednesday a “post-shutdown sale” of the plant, along with the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to a subsidiary of Holtec International. The transaction, which is pending approval by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, would include license transfers, spent fuel and Nuclear Decommissioning Trusts at the two facilities, along with the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation at the already-decommissioned Big Rock Nuclear Power Plant near Charlevoix.
According to a company statement announcing the sale, Entergy will receive a “nominal” cash consideration of an undisclosed amount, and the deal is not expected to affect the scheduled 2022 closing of the Palisades plant. Entergy officials add that they remain “committed to the safe and reliable operation of … Palisades until (its) permanent shutdown.”
Open in 1971, the Palisades plant has long a target of anti-nuclear groups such as Beyond Nuclear for closing due to various factors. It is considered to be Van Buren County’s largest employer.
