Michigan’s Palisades nuclear power plant is reportedly set to reopen in October as America’s grid strains under increasing power demand, a development that will mark the first reopening of a shuttered nuclear power plant in U.S. history.
Holtec International’s nuclear plant closed in May 2022, and it will reportedly go live again this October, according to multiple reports. The Biden administration pledged a $1.5 billion loan guarantee for the plant’s revival in September 2024, and the Trump administration has continued to fund the project despite axing other Biden-era energy spending, all while the U.S. electrical grid is expected to struggle to meet rising power demand.
“We’ve got two administrations with very different philosophies on energy, both saying this makes sense to move ahead with bringing Palisades back,” Republican Michigan Rep. Bill Huizenga, who represents the district that is home to the returning Palisades plant, told E&E News. “All the infrastructure is there. There’s no long, drawn-out permitting process. It’s not like it’s a new greenfield development. It’s been there for decades.”
.@SecretaryWright on reopening Palisades Nuclear Plant: “It’s a gigawatt or so of awesome power production capacity already built.”
A gigawatt is enough to power 100,000 Michigan homes for a year.
pic.twitter.com/g8swB8JcLr
— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) March 18, 2025
The plant is expected to generate enough power for 800,000 homes, according to multiple reports. The Palisades plant reportedly will also host some small modular reactors (SMRs) that can power an additional 300,000 homes. The reactor provided power for more than 50 years before closing down as its power purchase agreement expired, according to multiple reports.
Nuclear power plants are difficult to build due to strict regulations and permitting requirements, as well as environmentalist lawsuits and public fears of radiation, energy sector experts have previously explained to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Blackouts are projected to roll across the U.S. as soon as within the next few years, including in the Michigan region, according to a recent Department of Energy report and analysis from Always on Energy Research. As energy infrastructure has aged and stringent regulations have helped shutter coal plants, America’s projected power demand has shot up, in part due to the expected proliferation of data centers that burn through large volumes of electricity to operate.
President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency on his first day back in the Oval Office and has championed nuclear technology, signing multiple executive orders to expedite its implementation.
Holtec International did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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