US Company Aims to Reopen a Retired Nuclear Power Plant
2023-05-05
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1About one year ago, a company that usually takes apart closed nuclear power centers, bought one in the state of Michigan.
2Holtec Decommissioning International purchased the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in the western part of Michigan.
3The company planned to take radioactive materials from the center, make the buildings safe and prepare the land along Lake Michigan for future use.
4But after a short time, company leaders started thinking about restarting energy production at the plant.
5That is because a law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in late 2021 included $6 billion to keep older nuclear plants open.
6Those who run Holtec thought they could use some of that money to fix some of the plant's problems and reopen it.
7Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other Michigan leaders supported Holtec's plan.
8So, the company wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and asked the federal government for money to help bring the plant back into operation.
9Local leaders said the power plant will bring jobs back to the area.
10State leaders, such as Whitmer, said the power from the plant would be important for Michigan's economy.
11But critics of the plant said it had many problems when it was opened under the earlier owner, Entergy.
12In fact, Entergy closed the center earlier than planned because a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report showed many problems.
13One of the problems was with a device that controls the plant's nuclear reaction.
14Kevin Kamps opposes the plan to reopen the Palisades plant.
15He works for the nonprofit group Beyond Nuclear.
16He said he would "fight this proposal at every turn" and said the plan was risky.
17Independent experts say reopening a nuclear plant like Palisades would be difficult.
18Jacopo Buongiorno is a nuclear engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
19He said restarting the plant would be "a massive challenge."
20But it is costly to build new nuclear plants.
21And there are not yet other methods that can equal the production of a nuclear plant like Palisades that are as clean.
22While there are safety concerns about nuclear power, it does not produce any pollution.
23The Biden administration is looking for ways to cut the pollution linked to energy.
24One way to reduce pollution is to extend the life of older nuclear plants.
25In 2022, the Department of Energy awarded a plant in California $1.1 billion to stay open.
26It was to be closed down starting in 2024.
27Holtec believes it will need a similar amount of money to reopen Palisades.
28It applied for a $1 billion loan from the U.S. government and asked Michigan for $300 million.
29Kelly Trice is Holtec's president.
30He said the company will need help.
31For example, he said Holtec would need a utility company to buy the power from the plant.
32Trice did not say the exact cost of reopening the plant.
33Holtec would also need government permission to reopen the plant.
34That would only come after years of repair work to fix the problems in the NRC report.
35The Palisades plant would also have to get new uranium fuel.
36All the old fuel has been moved to safe holding areas and cannot be used again.
37Those are some of the barriers to reopening.
38However, the plant's buildings are still standing, and the company still has about 220 of 600 employees.
39If the plant receives permission to start up again, it would be the first time a closed plant reopened.
40But many people are worried about the plant's poor safety history.
41Edwin Lyman is one of them. He is the director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
42He said regular safety inspections have not been going on for the last year and the NRC has not recently looked at the plant.
43A spokesman for Holtec said the company would only consider restarting the plant if it were safe.
44Holtec said if the NRC rejects the plan or if there were a financial problem, it would go back to the first idea of taking apart the plant.
45That would be costly, too.
46Holtec said last year it would cost over $600 million.
47If that turns out to be the plan, Michigan leaders are concerned Holtec has underestimated the budget.
48Dana Nessel is the Michigan Attorney General.
49She said if the costs run too high, the people of Michigan will have to pay for the difference.
50If the plan to bring the plant back works, it will make some people happy.
51Energy costs in Michigan will likely go down.
52The Palisades plant produced five percent of the state's supply.
53But that means some people will worry about a nuclear accident.
54Kraig Shultz lives about 80 kilometers from the plant.
55He thought he did not have to worry about an accident any longer.
56He likes being close to the lake and enjoying nature.
57So, he is worried that an accident would make him move his family away from a place he loves.
58Shultz said: "We're playing a losing game when we keep running something until it fails."
59I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Dan Friedell.
1About one year ago, a company that usually takes apart closed nuclear power centers, bought one in the state of Michigan. 2Holtec Decommissioning International purchased the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in the western part of Michigan. 3The company planned to take radioactive materials from the center, make the buildings safe and prepare the land along Lake Michigan for future use. 4A new plan 5But after a short time, company leaders started thinking about restarting energy production at the plant. 6That is because a law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in late 2021 included $6 billion to keep older nuclear plants open. 7Those who run Holtec thought they could use some of that money to fix some of the plant's problems and reopen it. 8Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other Michigan leaders supported Holtec's plan. So, the company wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and asked the federal government for money to help bring the plant back into operation. 9Local leaders said the power plant will bring jobs back to the area. State leaders, such as Whitmer, said the power from the plant would be important for Michigan's economy. 10Critics promise to fight 11But critics of the plant said it had many problems when it was opened under the earlier owner, Entergy. 12In fact, Entergy closed the center earlier than planned because a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report showed many problems. One of the problems was with a device that controls the plant's nuclear reaction. 13Kevin Kamps opposes the plan to reopen the Palisades plant. He works for the nonprofit group Beyond Nuclear. He said he would "fight this proposal at every turn" and said the plan was risky. 14Independent experts say reopening a nuclear plant like Palisades would be difficult. 15Jacopo Buongiorno is a nuclear engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said restarting the plant would be "a massive challenge." 16But it is costly to build new nuclear plants. And there are not yet other methods that can equal the production of a nuclear plant like Palisades that are as clean. 17While there are safety concerns about nuclear power, it does not produce any pollution. The Biden administration is looking for ways to cut the pollution linked to energy. 18Money and more 19One way to reduce pollution is to extend the life of older nuclear plants. In 2022, the Department of Energy awarded a plant in California $1.1 billion to stay open. It was to be closed down starting in 2024. 20Holtec believes it will need a similar amount of money to reopen Palisades. It applied for a $1 billion loan from the U.S. government and asked Michigan for $300 million. 21Kelly Trice is Holtec's president. He said the company will need help. For example, he said Holtec would need a utility company to buy the power from the plant. Trice did not say the exact cost of reopening the plant. 22Holtec would also need government permission to reopen the plant. That would only come after years of repair work to fix the problems in the NRC report. 23The Palisades plant would also have to get new uranium fuel. All the old fuel has been moved to safe holding areas and cannot be used again. 24Those are some of the barriers to reopening. However, the plant's buildings are still standing, and the company still has about 220 of 600 employees. 25If the plant receives permission to start up again, it would be the first time a closed plant reopened. 26But many people are worried about the plant's poor safety history. 27Edwin Lyman is one of them. He is the director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists. He said regular safety inspections have not been going on for the last year and the NRC has not recently looked at the plant. 28What next? 29A spokesman for Holtec said the company would only consider restarting the plant if it were safe. Holtec said if the NRC rejects the plan or if there were a financial problem, it would go back to the first idea of taking apart the plant. That would be costly, too. Holtec said last year it would cost over $600 million. 30If that turns out to be the plan, Michigan leaders are concerned Holtec has underestimated the budget. Dana Nessel is the Michigan Attorney General. She said if the costs run too high, the people of Michigan will have to pay for the difference. 31If the plan to bring the plant back works, it will make some people happy. Energy costs in Michigan will likely go down. The Palisades plant produced five percent of the state's supply. 32But that means some people will worry about a nuclear accident. 33Kraig Shultz lives about 80 kilometers from the plant. He thought he did not have to worry about an accident any longer. 34He likes being close to the lake and enjoying nature. So, he is worried that an accident would make him move his family away from a place he loves. 35Shultz said: "We're playing a losing game when we keep running something until it fails." 36I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Dan Friedell. 37Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 38________________________________________________________________ 39Words in This Story 40massive-adj. something very large 41challenge -n. anything that is difficult to do 42utility company -n. a class of company that provides the public with a needed service like water, electricity or gas 43________________________________________________________________ 44We want to hear from you. What do you think about nuclear power? 45Here is how our comment system works: 46Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.