Thanks to President Biden, Governor Whitmer and the Democratic policies, union Boilermakers at Local 169 are being rewarded with work opportunities that would otherwise not exist. And because of policies championed by the Democratic party, such as the Davis-Bacon Act, employees on site must receive prevailing wages, which protects union workers and provides opportunities for union contractors.
Read more about the Palisades Nuclear project from CNBC.
When the Palisades Nuclear Plant in southern Michigan was mothballed in May 2022 after more than 40 years of commercial operation, it seemed the decommissioning was likely permanent.
Just two years later in an “about face,” nuclear is regaining favor as a clean, efficient energy producer, and the plant has attracted an infusion of government funding that puts Palisades on track for a restart as early as the end of next year.
Palisades owner, Holtec International, credits Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for taking the initial action to help the plant return to service, noting that Whitmer made it a priority and signed bipartisan legislation that provided state funding and supported Holtec’s application for federal financing. Whitmer pushed for and secured $150 million in state funding for the plant’s re-opening. Another $150 million was later invested.
According to the Holtec's website, plans are in motion for repowering the facility, “Thanks to the groundswell of support from the State of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Energy… Getting Palisades back online gives Michigan a clean, reliable, safe source of continued energy. It provides hundreds of jobs to the community, as well as extended economic benefits for the region.”
The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act provided an additional $1.5 billion to recommission the plant.
“Thanks to President Biden, Governor Whitmer and the Democratic policies, union Boilermakers at Local 169 (Detroit) are being rewarded with work opportunities that would otherwise not exist,” said L-169 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Bob Hutsell. “And because of policies championed by the Democratic party, such as the Davis-Bacon Act, employees on site must receive prevailing wages, which protects union workers and provides opportunities for union contractors.”
There are currently 22 Local 169 Boilermakers working at the Palisades site, and with the future work and proposed construction of two new modular units, Hutsell expects 60 Boilermakers will be on site.
Palisades is planning to install two modular nuclear units once the recommissioning is complete.
As of December 2023, Holtec had begun its program to build its first two SMR-300 reactor units at Palisades. The existing Palisades plant, refurbished with an array of enhancements, is on track to be restarted by the end of 2025 and is designed to provide decades of safe and reliable service. The addition of two SMRs near the existing 800-MW plant will nearly double the Michigan site’s total carbon-free generation capacity.
On their website, Holtec stated: “A restart of Palisades could mark a turning point for the nuclear industry after a decade in which a dozen reactors have shut down across the country.”
Palisades is being credited as the catalyst for the recent announcement from Constellation on restarting Pennylvania’s Three Mile Island Unit 1, which provides Boilermaker work for Local 13 (Philadelphia).
