[USA] Biden-Harris Administration bringing back clean nuclear energy, creating clean energy Union jobs across the Midwest

On September 30, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), announced more than $2.8 billion to support reliable, affordable, and clean power in the Midwest. [1] The DOE announced the closing of a loan guarantee of up to $1.52 billion under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program to Holtec Palisades to finance the restoration of service of an 800 MW nuclear-generating station in Michigan. This is the first incidence of an effort by the DOE to restart an American nuclear power plant. The USDA also announced over $1.3 billion in funding in Empower Rural America (ERA) program awards for two rural electric cooperatives, Wolverine Power Cooperative and Hoosier Energy. The intention is to reduce the cost of electricity passed on to their members for clean power from Holtec Palisades and other clean energy sources. These awards reinforce the Administration’s effort to achieve widespread deployment of advanced nuclear. The Palisades Nuclear Plant, which ceased operations in May 2022, will be brought back online and upgraded to produce clean baseload power until 2051, subject to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing approvals.

[1] https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/09/30/biden-harris-administration-bringing-back-clean-nuclear-energy