Florida-based energy company Holtec International has formally begun the process of seeking federal reauthorisation to restart the single-unit Palisades nuclear power station in Michigan with a planned date for repowering set in 2025.

The company said a filing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission follows a series of public meetings with NRC staff to lay out the path to “reauthorise the repowering of Palisades within the agency’s existing regulatory framework”.

If successful, the move would allow the first ever US reopening of a shut-down commercial nuclear power plant.