The company's initial request for a Civil Nuclear Credit program grant was rejected in early December.

At the time, the Department of Energy did not respond to a request for comment.

Plans to restart the plant has been backed by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who sees it as an opportunity to bring in hundreds of jobs and make the state more energy independent.

The window to reapply will open in January.

Holtec sent the following statement to ABC57 News:

"The repowering of Palisades is of vital importance to Michigan’s clean energy future. As Michigan transitions from fossil-fuel generation to renewables and emerging advanced technologies, baseload nuclear generation is an essential backstop. Based on the supportive feedback we have received, Holtec will be reapplying for the next round of funding through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Civil Nuclear Credit program to support the repowering of Palisades.

This decision to reapply is one that we did not take lightly, but the support of the State of Michigan, local officials, and key stakeholders – who recognize the significant benefit in providing a safe, reliable, carbon-free power source, as well as providing a significant economic impact through good paying jobs and the use of many local goods and services – leads us to believe this is the best path forward for the facility and our state. 

Our team will remain focused on decommissioning during this time with a focus on managing the spent fuel removal from the spent fuel pool to dry cask storage.  We appreciate their professionalism and focus to ensuring the health and safety of the public.

Holtec is a technology company at our core. For almost 40 years we have built our reputation on helping solve challenges that the nuclear industry has faced.  We believe that nuclear power is key to both a greener future and ensuring energy independence for our country."