IBEW members of Kalamazoo, Mich. Local 131 will repower the first nuclear plant in U.S. history to be brought back online after shutting down.
The Palisades nuclear plant is being recommissioned because of a $1.5 billion investment from the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Sixth District International Vice President Michael Clemmons and IBEW Local 131 members joined developers and White House officials for the announcement of the plant’s re-start.
Members of Local 131 have been performing maintenance as they prepare to rebuild the 800-megawatt reactor, said Jonathan Current, Local 131 assistant business manager. Local 131 will also build two new smaller nuclear reactors when work begins in 2025. Holtec, the company re-commissioning Palisades, has already signed a project labor agreement with 15 labor unions, including the IBEW.
Current expects the site to keep 200 construction members on the job for ten years. This is in addition to billions of data center, battery plant, semiconductor, paper mill, and pharmaceutical construction work in Local 131’s jurisdiction. “These projects are foundational to the middle class in this area,” Current said.
More than ten nuclear plants have closed since 2012, thanks to fluctuating energy markets and the low cost of natural gas. Now that federal policies are focused on zero-emission electricity, nuclear is finally getting its due.
Nuclear is a carbon-free workhorse. The Department of Energy estimates that the U.S. must bring 600 gigawatts of nuclear capacity online before 2050 in order to meet increasing demand and cut emissions at the same time. The IBEW represents approximately 10,000 members working at nuclear plants.
“Recommissioning Palisades is going to bring back middle-class, union jobs we thought were permanently gone,” Clemmons said at the Sept. 30 funding announcement. Clemmons credited the Biden-Harris administration, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and the state legislature for reopening Palisades.
“This is a solid five to eight years of work in an industry that’s innovating and decarbonizing.” Clemmons said. “This means hundreds of IBEW construction jobs.”
Photo caption: IBEW Sixth District Vice President Michael Clemmons, left, attended the Palisades nuclear plant reopening announcement Sept. 30, along with IBEW members including Joe Davis (international representative), Andrew Graebner (Fort Wayne, Ind. Local 1392 business manager), Morris Applebey, Brad O’Donnell and Eric O’Donnell (Kalamazoo, Mich. Local 131). Also pictured is Michigan House Rep. Joey Andrews.
