Six sites in the Great Lakes area have had their nuclear reactors permanently shut down.
Only one of them, Big Rock Point, Charlevoix, was fully decommissioned. Eight spent fuel tanks are all that remains on the 500-acre site. The federal government has declared the land safe for non-restricted use.
According to Jerry Nappi who is the director of corporate communication at Entergy (a company that has multiple nuclear plants), it is not uncommon for closed nuclear plants be considered abandoned.
Commercial nuclear power plants cannot be abandoned. Nappi explained that trust funds are required for each commercial nuclear power plant in the country. These funds cannot be used for any other than approved decommissioning, removal, and remediation purposes.
It takes around 30 years to complete a proper decommissioning.
Some plants, such the Palisades nuclear plant in Covert, have been involved in multiple accidents.
Palisades’ leaky refueling tank in 2019 drained 79 gallons radioactive water into Lake Michigan. This was according to the Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC).
NRC stated that although the radioactive waste produced was minimal, it did not cause any harm to the environment or water quality. However, it raised concerns about the safety of nuclear plants such as Palisades.
The NRC claims that nuclear power is safe for the environment when it is done properly. Only when mistakes, such as those at Palisades, occur, can damage occur.
Entergy has announced it will close Palisades by the end of spring.
Palisades’ senior communications specialist Val Gent said that the closing decision was taken from a business perspective.
Gent stated that the Entergys business strategy is to close Palisades and become a pure utility company.
Gent announced that Entergy will be transferring ownership of Palisades assets to Holtec International for decommissioning, following the permanent shutdown.
Holtec International, a Florida-based company, designs equipment for nuclear plants. It also handles waste management and proper decommissioning.
Like Big Rock and Palisades nuclear plants, there are many other old nuclear power plants located right at the Great Lakes edge.
Can decades-old, unused plants have a lasting impact on the water and its environment?
According to the International Joint Commission the most well-known effect that nuclear power has on water quality in Great Lakes is the creation of radionuclides. These radioactive atoms are what is known as radionuclides.
To manage and protect waters shared between the United States of America and Canada, the International Joint Commission was created by the United States.
Tritium is the most abundant radionuclide in the Great Lakes, after radon, uranium, and radium. Experts say that most radionuclides are found naturally at low levels and pose no danger to human health.
U.S. lawmakers stated that the plan does not give priority to the Great Lakes and 40 million people who rely on it for drinking water. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) heads a bipartisan group of 20 members calling on the Biden Administration not to allow the Canadian government to store waste in Great Lakes Basin.
According to a report from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, Canada intends to store 57,000 tonnes of radioactive material in Great Lakes Basin.
Governor. Gretchen Whitmer accused Canada of adding more risks to our waters.
Despite concerns raised by U.S. officials, farmers and landowners within the basin, Canada continues to move forward with the project.