Holtec Pushes Palisades Nuclear Restart to February

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Written by Danny Levin, Deputy Editor for IIR News (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Holtec now expects the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan will reopen by the end of February, later than previously scheduled, after which the company plans to begin preparing the site for the addition of two SMRs.

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Palisades Nuclear Plant Restart Delay

Despite previously saying the shuttered Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan would officially reopen by the end of 2025, Holtec (Jupiter, Florida) earlier this month said now it expects the plant to be connected to the grid by the end of February.

That was echoed by Holtec spokesperson Nick Culp last month, according to news media, saying "we are planning for a Palisades restart in early 2026, following completion of ongoing project activities."

The federal government has approved the restart, and the plant received its first fuel in October. Palisades would be the first U.S. nuclear plant to restart after being closed.

Once returned to service, it would generate more than 800 megawatts (MW) of power.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project and Plant databases can learn more from a related project report and plant profile.

Palisades began operating in 1971 but was closed in 2022 by the then-owner, who later sold the facility to Holtec for decommissioning.

There's an Environmental Lawsuit Challenging the Restart

However, a trio of environmental groups, led by Beyond Nuclear, in November filed a lawsuit in United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan against Holtec and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) seeking to halt the restart of the plant, which is located along Lake Michigan, on some of the following grounds: federal law prohibits reversing a government-certified shutdown; they skirted regulatory requirements to issue a new operating license; safety concerns regarding the 50-year-old reactor; and environmental risks.

"This lawsuit alleges that the NRC and Holtec didn't just bend the regulations," Wallace Taylor, Iowa-based co-counsel for the environmental coalition, said in a related press release. "They both broke the law to resurrect a reactor that was fifty plus years old, poorly maintained and could not compete in the open market. Palisades is not needed, way too expensive even with massive public subsidies, and unsafe."

Both entities issued responses through news media. Despite saying the NRC does not comment on ongoing litigation, Prema Chandrathil, a public affairs officer for the agency, said it has been conducting "methodical, thorough and independent reviews of licensing actions and conducting real-time inspections of the plant's maintenance, testing and repairs of systems and components required for plant startup."

"The plant can only start up when this work is completed and the [commission] determines that plant systems, components and programs meet federal requirements."

Patrick O'Brien, Holtec's director of government affairs and communications, said the commission's approval to reopen the plant "followed a rigorous, independent review under the agency's existing regulatory framework."

SMR Additions at the Palisades Plant

Holtec also earlier this month updated progress on its planned addition of two small modular reactors (SMR) at Palisades, both of which would have the company's SMR-300 design. The reactors are expected to boost the plant's nuclear generating capacity by 600 MW and push the overall capacity to around 1,400 MW. Holtec hopes to deploy the SMRs by 2030.

Holtec is "now poised to begin preparatory civil construction work at the site" for the SMRs as soon as Palisades is connected to the grid, "which will most likely occur by the end of February."

The SMR effort received a $400 million grant last year from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Those could be the first of more deployments of Holtec's SMR-300 reactors. Holtec said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with EDF Energy UK, a unit of Électricité de France S.A. (Paris, Italy), to build them at the now-closed, former coal-fired Cottam Power Station in Nottinghamshire, England.

Holtec also said it is moving through the U.K.'s Generic Design Assessment (GDA) program, which is mandatory for any new nuclear technology seeking clearance for use.

Subscribers can read a Cottam plant profile, as well as a related project report for the SMRs. The project remains in its early phase, where plenty of factors could delay or alter the timeline and/or projected investments.

Key Takeaways

• Holtec now expects the shuttered Palisades nuclear plant to begin producing power by the end of February.
• After the grid connection is complete, the company plans to begin preparatory work for the addition of two SMRs at the site.
• Holtec aims to deploy its SMR-300 reactors elsewhere across the globe, such as the U.K.

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About IIR News
IIR News is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resource's Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).