The governor of Michigan last week signed a bill aimed at evaluating whether the Great Lake State could expand nuclear power generation in the wake of a recent plant closure, according to a press release.
The measure, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law Oct. 14, directs Michigan’s public service commission to, among other things, explore how it could “leverag[e] existing nuclear energy generation facilities within this state.” The study would also gather information about siting advanced nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMRs), in Michigan.
State Rep. Graham Filler (R), who sponsored the bill, said in a statement Oct. 14 that his legislation “ensures our state continues to research and review nuclear energy, which has provided millions of homes and businesses affordable, clean energy for many years here in Michigan.”
Filler’s legislation passed in the state House Sep. 28 on a 83-21 vote. The state Senate approved its version of the bill 32-4 on the same day.
The new state study would come as Michigan works to restart the shuttered Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, which went offline May 20. Current plant owner Holtec International, in cooperation with Lansing, has applied with the Department of Energy for a federal bailout which the company says it will use to try to bring Palisades back online.
Filler, who is a vocal proponent of nuclear energy in Michigan, told RadWaste Monitor Oct. 4 that he supports the effort to restart Palisades. The state legislator also praised Whitmer for her support for nuclear power.
“We’re a top ten nuclear state,” Filler said at the time. “[The idea of] losing Palisades, I think, makes this study really important for what comes next.”
As of Friday, DOE had yet to signal whether it would award Holtec a bailout for Palisades, which is part of the agency’s first funding cycle for its roughly $6 billion civil nuclear credits program aimed at propping up the U.S. nuclear fleet.
Holtec acquired Palisades in June from former operator Entergy. The company has also floated the site as a potential location for a future SMR prototype.
