News

In the coming years, a nuclear power plant on the shores of Lake Michigan could become the first in the country to restart operations after shutting down. The Palisades plant in southwest Michigan could be revived by a $1.5 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, according to Bloomberg. Federal officials have not yet confirmed the funding, but Dr. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary in the agency’s Office of Nuclear Energy, has said it would be “exciting” and “historic” to see the plant return to life.

The potential federal investment comes as state leaders in Michigan and elsewhere have worked to preserve their nuclear power capacity. Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer successfully pushed for $150 million in state funding last year to support the Palisades restart. The plant is owned by Florida-based Holtec International, which bought it in 2022 to decommission it.

Reviving the plant “is really significant to make sure we can meet our clean-energy goals,” according to Kara Cook, Chief of Staff with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. “This is really important to us not only from a climate perspective, but also the economic impact on the region.”

Alliant Energy has announced the completion of six new large scale solar energy plants, adding 514 megawatts of solar energy to the electric grid, which will power around 135,000 homes annually.

"Completing these projects is a huge milestone and a pivotal moment in our journey toward a brighter energy future,” said David de Leon, Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin President. Alliant Energy is a Wisconsin-based electric and natural gas utility that serves the greater south- central region of the state as well as parts of the northeast.

The company has promoted its commitment to expanding renewable energy generation in Wisconsin and has been developing a total of 12 solar projects over the last few years. Alliant Energy has installed over 2 million solar panels in the state of Wisconsin so far. Utility scale solar projects often lease land from local landowners and farmers to site solar fields that cover hundreds of acres. The company is celebrating the completion of six solar sites — ranging from 50 to 150 megawatts — built in Green, Grant, Sheboygan, Rock, Dodge, and Waushara Counties. Nearly 1,000 workers were employed during construction of the solar projects, according to a news release.

A bill recently introduced in the state Legislature would give the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin greater control over utility plans for future construction projects.

Under the proposal, electric utilities and cooperatives would have to seek approval from state regulators for two-year construction plans for large-scale electric generating facilities, small generating sites and transmission lines. The Public Service Commission, or PSC, typically approves most utility construction projects individually, rather than looking at integrated resource and reliability plans biennially.

The bill would also give the PSC the authority to require utilities to use a financing mechanism to reduce the impact on consumer electricity rates when coal plants shut down.