COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — After attempting to reopen the Palisades nuclear power plant, the Department of Energy has rejected the plant’s application for funds to restart.

The plant has been offline since May and was purchased by Holtec International in June with the intention of handling the decommissioning process. The company later applied for a federal grant to reopen Palisades with the support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

On Friday, the Herald-Palladium reported that the DOE rejected the bid.

A statement posted on the plant’s Facebook page read in part:

“We fully understood that what we were attempting to do, re-starting a shuttered nuclear plant, would be both a challenge and a first for the nuclear industry. While the DOE’s decision is not the outcome many had hoped for, we entered this process committed to working with our federal, state, and community partners to see if the plant could be repowered to return to service as a provider of safe, reliable, and carbon-free generation… As we have said, both before acquiring Palisades and since taking ownership, Holtec remains committed to helping the nuclear and energy industries meet challenges and find solutions here in Michigan and across the country. That commitment remains as our employees focus on the safe and timely decommissioning of Palisades to allow for potential reuse.”

A statement posted on the Palisades Power Plant Facebook page said

Holtec previously submitted a report that details its decommissioning plan through 2041, which is expected to cost more than $600 million. There will be a pause from December 2025 through November 2035. Demolition will begin sometime after that and site restoration is scheduled to begin in 2040.