The Michigan Public Service Commission, which oversees the state’s utilities, declined to comment for this story.
The decommissioning of a 50-year-old nuclear power plant in West Michigan is set to begin soon now that its sale is final. Michigan Public Radio’s Colin Jackson has more.
Earlier this year the state mounted a last-ditch effort to keep the Palisades Power Plant open over concerns about losing a source of clean energy and jobs.
Now the decommissioning company Holtec is taking control.
Pat O’Brien is the company's senior manager of government affairs. He says they hope to keep some of the plant’s staff onboard during the 19-year process of dismantling and cleaning up the plant.
“There’ll be certain times where we’ll have some staff reductions but as the job ebbs and flows, you know, obviously, depending on the project and what’s being removed and when, you’ll have a number of specialty union contractors come on and help with the project.”
O’Brien says Holtec inherited around 240 employees in the sale.