US moves forward with reactivation of decades-old nuclear power station in bid to meet surging energy demand: ‘Safety standards have evolved enormously’

Two years after a nuclear power plant in Michigan was decommissioned, the United States government and Great Lakes State have invested nearly $2 billion to bring it back online.

The Wall Street Journal reported the news in August, detailing how the 53-year-old Palisades is being upgraded and would become the first decommissioned plant to resume operations.

While some remain skeptical of the project, Paris-based independent nuclear consultant Mycle Schneider highlighted how nuclear energy has progressed. (Despite common misconceptions about deaths or danger associated with nuclear power, research from the nonprofit Our World in Data reveals it is the second-safest form of energy behind solar.)

“If today somebody invented a machine that looked like a second generation nuclear reactor, it would not get a license,” Schneider told the WSJ. “Safety standards have evolved enormously.”

A “core catcher” that keeps melted fuel from reaching the nuclear reactor’s floor is among the components of upgraded plants, safeguarding against an issue like the Fukushima disaster — triggered by tsunami waves after an earthquake.

Other improvements include “hardening” against the effects of warming global temperatures, including more intense and frequent extreme weather events and rising sea levels. The plant is also equipped to deal with any potential drone or cyberattacks.

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“Every U.S. plant currently operating must satisfy the NRC that it can defend itself against a wide range of physical and cyberattacks,” Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Scott Burnell told the WSJ. “Palisades met those requirements while it was operating and would have to continue to show it meets those requirements if it were authorized to resume operations.”

If it comes online, the Palisades plant is expected to be part of the solution to meet the country’s surging energy demands. For example, as artificial intelligence develops further, Goldman Sachs projects that data center power needs will grow by 160% by the end of the decade.

Drawbacks of depending on dirty fuels include the high cost and air pollution, which contributes to millions of premature deaths annually. However, as the Department of Energy notes, nuclear is a carbon-free energy source that is more reliable than other types of power.

If all goes according to plan, the WSJ reports that the Palisades plant will reopen in October 2025. As of Sept. 2, the project was still waiting for the green light from the NRC, according to reporting by The Holland Sentinel.

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