Michigan’s First Nuclear Power Plant, Charlevoix:1962-1997

A nuclear power plant in Charlevoix? To just about anyone under the age of 30, yes, there was one at one time – in fact, from 1962-1997.

It was located along the shoreline of Lake Michigan just off Big Rock Road.

Named Big Rock Point, it was owned by Consumers Power, their boiling water reactor was made by General Electric, and it was contracted by the Bechtel Corporation.

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Not only was this Michigan’s first nuclear power plant, it was also the fifth in the entire country.

With the groundbreaking taking place on July 20, 1960, it took over two years to complete construction, costing a total of $27,700,000, which would be the equivalent to $313,478,040 in 2026. The reactor first went operable critical on September 27, 1962 and electricity began generating that December.

The plant’s license was due to expire in 2000, but a lack of funding made it necessary to shut down permanently three years earlier – which it did on August 29, 1997. That date marked 35 years since the plant began operating. After beginning decontamination, that aspect was finally completed in 1999.

Now listed as a Nuclear Historic Landmark, Big Rock Point’s reactor vessel was shipped to Barnwell, South Carolina in 2003. Since then, the entire area, all 500 acres, has been demolished. If you pay a visit, all you’ll see is dirt, sand, gravel, and smidgens of grass.