Weighing the pros & cons of nuclear energy

The Palisades Nuclear Plant, in Covert Township, on Lake Michigan. Credit: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Americans want energy, and they want a lot of it—for artificial intelligence (hello, robot overlords), for electric vehicles, for more manufacturing, for green buildings and transportation. To meet these demands, many governments and utilities are—once again—considering nuclear energy.

I did an entire season of my podcast about this—Wild Thing: Going Nuclear—in which I explored the pluses and minuses of nuclear energy in regards to a potential small modular reactor that would be opening near my hometown.

That hasn’t yet come to pass but there’s another possibility on the horizon: The old Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan will likely reopen later this year and begin receiving fuel to power two SMRs. Holtec International took ownership of Palisades in 2022—after it had been decommissioned—and plans to begin the process of un-decommissioning (is that a word?) the plant, with the intention of generating power by mid-2030.

But many of the questions about nuclear—like how to deal with spent fuel and ensure health and safety—still remain. I joined Detroit Public Radio’s The Metro to talk about the pros and cons, the rewards and the risks.