NRC approves Holtec's request to restart Michigan nuclear plant

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved a series of requests from Holtec International that lay the groundwork to restart the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan, the agency and company said on Thursday. The approvals will allow Holtec to load fuel, but the company will need further approvals before the plant, which ceased operations under a different proprietor in May 2022, can start back up, they said in separate statements.

Holtec is restarting the decommissioned 800-megawatt Palisades plant and plans to install two small modular reactors (SMRs), based on existing light water reactor (LWR) technology, at the same facility.

In a partnership with Hyundai Engineering & Construction , Holtec plans to build 10 gigawatts of SMRs in North America through the 2030s, starting at Palisades. Holtec bought the plant to decommission it, but now hopes to reopen it - the first US commercial reactor to restart after ceasing operations - amid rising US power demand driven by data centers and artificial intelligence growth. "Once returned to service, Palisades will generate more than 800 megawatts of safe, reliable, and carbon-free baseload power - enough to power more than 800,000 households... enhance grid reliability and help meet growing energy demand in Michigan and beyond," Holtec said. It did not give a start-up date. In March, Holtec said it wants to reopen the plant in the fourth quarter of 2025. "While these NRC approvals will allow Holtec to load fuel, there are still several licensing actions under NRC review and additional requirements that need to be met before the plant can start up under the original operating license, which would expire March 24, 2031," the NRC said.

The NRC has transferred PNP's operating authority from Holtec Decommissioning International to Palisades Energy LLC and reinstated key documents, including emergency and security plans, maintenance and inspection programs.