Michigan reactor could become first in US to restart after being shut for decommissioning
The Palisades nuclear plant in the US state of Michigan has officially returned to operational status after being in decommissioning for three years – marking the first time in the US that a shut-down reactor has returned to operations.
The 805-MW pressurised water reactor unit is not yet generating electricity, but the change in status means it can now receive new fuel to power the reactor once the final inspections and reassembly of the plant is complete.
Holtec International, which owns Palisades, did not say how soon that would happen.
The announcement by Holtec comes one month after the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved Holtec’s licensing package to reauthorise power operations.
The plant, in Covert Township on the shore of Lake Michigan, can be restarted “once allowable conditions are met within the approved Technical Specifications”, Holtec said.
The NRC will oversee the final phase of restart preparations, which includes inspections, testing, and maintenance.
Palisades, which began commercial operation in 2022, ceased operations in May 2022.
Holtec bought Palisades to decommission the facility, which had struggled to compete with natural gas-fired plants and renewable energy, but in early 2023 applied to the DOE for federal loan funding to repower the plant.
In late 2023, Holtec began filing licensing and regulatory requests to support returning the plant to operational status.
In June the US Department of Energy released the fourth loan disbursement to Holtec to help with the company’s plan to restart Palisades.
The move disbursed just over $100m (€87m) of a loan guarantee of up to $1.52bn to Holtec for the Palisades project.
The Biden administration finalised the $1.52bn loan guarantee for the project in September 2024.
Officials said extensive project work will be completed before a restart. The work includes a deep cleaning of the steam generator secondary systems. Recently completed work includes steam generator primary side repairs via tube sleeving and plugging, according to Holtec.
A Prelude To Small Modular Reactor Contruction
Holtec said reassembly of the main generator and turbine is underway, including “the reinstallation of our 183-ton generator rotor after extensive rotor and stator inspections”. The company also said it has installed a refurbished primary coolant pump motor, and completed maintenance and test runs of the emergency diesel generator.
Holtec said restarting Palisades will be a prelude to the construction and commissioning of the company’s first 300-MW small modular reactors (SMRs) at the site.
Palisades could the first of a number of of US reactors to return to service after being shut down.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) on Monday approved a waiver request that will allow NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Iowa by 2030.
Duane Arnold, a 615-MW facility near Cedar Rapids, was closed in 2020.
NextEra had planned solar farms at the site. Ferc said the waiver will allow interconnection agreements for solar power to be consolidated with an interconnection agreement for the nuclear plant.
Constellation Energy, meanwhile, plans to restart Unit 1 at the Three Mile Island site in Pennsylvania as part of a renamed Crane Clean Energy Center.
In September 2024, Constellation announced the signing of a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, a 20-year deal that will also restart Unit 1 at Crane.
The Palisades nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake MIchigan. Courtesy Holtec International.
