Palisades To Close In Late 2018; 600 Jobs Lost
Consumers Energy has announced that the Palisades nuclear power plant will close in late 2018, The move will mean the loss of 600 jobs.
While the plant had federal approval to operate to 2031, it has been operating on Lake Michigan, near South Haven, since the early 1970's, and was towards the end of its lifespan.
In 2012, the federal government named Palisades — already one of the oldest nuclear facilities in the country — one of the worst power plants for safety performance. Palisades also has seen repeated closures for a variety of maintenance issues.
Consumers Energy says shutting the plant down will bring $172 million dollars in savings, but at the same time, it will mean the loss of 600 jobs. Consumers says potentially 180 of those displaced workers could be transferred to other Consumers Energy operations.
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