Holtec International hopes to bring the small modular reactors online by 2030, but will first need to secure permits and overcome financial challenges that have stymied efforts to commercialize the nascent technology.
Great Lakes News Collaborative

Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, The Narwhal and Michigan Public work together to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes region’s water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Water’s True Cost
As the nation prepares to pour hundreds of billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan. Read the series.
Ready or Not
The Great Lakes region is frequently touted as one of the most climate-resilient places in the U.S., in part because of its enviable water resources. But climate change also threatens our water. The Great Lakes News Collaborative explores what it will take to prepare. Read the series.
Feral goldfish are menacing Great Lakes: We’re going to need a bigger bowl
Tracking escaped goldfish in Hamilton Harbour could help control the invasive species.
The spawn from lake sturgeon in Michigan to be introduced to Cuyahoga River
The progeny of lake sturgeon from Michigan will be released into the Cuyahoga River at Cleveland, Ohio.
Clock ticks for water utilities to join national PFAS settlements
Decision needed soon for funds to remove toxic chemicals from drinking water.
EPA to decide soon on Ohio plan to reduce phosphorus pollution in Lake Erie
Phosphorus pollution feeds cyanobacterial blooms in the western basin of Lake Erie. Ohio submitted a plan to reduce phosphorus runoff, but many believe it will fail.
Chicago suburbs, running out of water, will tap Lake Michigan
Communities in Michigan and elsewhere in the Midwest are taking steps to guard against groundwater depletion, including some surprising places near the Great Lakes.
What's being done about plastic trash getting into the Great Lakes?
As researchers learn more about the hazards of plastics and microplastics in the Great Lakes, it’s becoming clear Canada and the U.S. need to cooperate in stopping the pollution.
In Benton Harbor, lead lines are gone but water remains a luxury
It took years of resident complaints and millions in federal money but the lead water lines have finally been replaced. But now there’s a growing challenge in this cash-strapped city: ever-increasing water bills.
New federal money is the start of an effort to make Great Lakes coasts more resilient
Federal money can be used to restore wetlands, buy property to use as a buffer, and invest in nature-based infrastructure.
Consumers’ decision on 13 dams could alter Michigan rivers, towns
Consumers Energy is weighing what to do with old, hydropower dams that cost more to operate and maintain than the value of the energy they provide. But removing the dams has consequences for major rivers and local economies.