Leaders in Van Buren County are talking about how to reduce negative economic effects of the closure of the Palisades nuclear plant next year. Speaking to the South Haven City Council on Monday, Palisades project manager John Faul said he’s been in talks with economic developers and Entergy about how the plant’s employees will be affected.
“There are approximately 600 employees spread throughout the Van Buren, Berrien, not so much Cass, but Ottawa and Kent, and then 200 or so will be retained to do the decommissioning process, and another 50 might retire,” Faul said. “So the gap is, what do we do with the employees that choose not to retire or to relocate with Entergy somewhere else?”
Faul said Kinexus is working to get training for those workers who won’t be moving to its other facilities. It’s also offering retainment incentives to keep employees from leaving before the plant is closed. He noted the Palisades plant paid around $8 million per year in taxes at its peak, and when that number goes down, local governments will have to be prepared. Faul said the goal is to keep displaced Palisades employees in the community and productive. A study is being done on the total economic impact of the plant.
