OAK HARBOR — The Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Ottawa County is in line for a share of up to $4.2 billion in federal loans, after the U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that the plant and other Vistra Corp. facilities could receive the funding for upgrades and modernization.
The loan offer comes as the federal government pushes to shore up the nation’s nuclear fleet, much of which was built decades ago and faces costly maintenance to keep running safely into the future. Davis-Besse, which sits on the Lake Erie shoreline near Oak Harbor, has been a major employer and power source in northwest Ohio for generations.
Federal officials say the loans would pay for modernization projects aimed at extending the life of the plants and improving their efficiency and reliability. Nuclear power has drawn renewed bipartisan interest in Washington as a steady, carbon-free source of electricity at a time when demand from data centers and manufacturing is climbing across the Midwest.
Vistra, the Texas-based company that owns Davis-Besse, has not said publicly how much of the $4.2 billion it expects to draw or which upgrades it would prioritize. Community leaders in Ottawa County have long argued the plant is critical to the local economy, supporting hundreds of well-paying jobs and a major share of the region’s tax base. The loan announcement drew attention Monday across northwest Ohio, where Davis-Besse has operated since the late 1970s and remains one of the area’s most recognizable landmarks.
