Holtec ready for Palisades to enter operational mode

The single-unit pressurised water reactor on the shores of Lake Michigan permanently ceased operations on 20 May 2022, and its licence was transferred from previous operator Entergy Nuclear Operations to Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC and Holtec Palisades, LLC, for decommissioning. Holtec later announced it would pursue a restart of the shuttered unit, and in late 2023 began the process to obtain the licensing approvals needed to return the plant to operational status for the remainder of its licensing term.

To restart the plant, Holtec would need to gain approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to restore the licensing basis of the plant to an operational status; return plant components to a status that supports safe operation; and make any upgrades necessary to meet the proposed operational licensing basis. As well as reviewing the regulatory and licensing documents for the plant, the NRC will also inspect new and restored components necessary to operate safely, and continue ongoing oversight to ensure sufficiency of all plant systems and programmes. The regulator has set up a dedicated Palisades Nuclear Plant Restart Panel to oversee this effort.

In an update issued in early April, Holtec said work at Palisades remains on schedule and on budget, targeting a restart in the fourth quarter of this year.

Holtec said the regulatory path to the reauthorisation of power operations at Palisades "is tied collectively to a suite of licensing and regulatory requests that require NRC approval and subsequent implementation by Holtec".

It noted that the associated licensing actions and activities define the regulatory scope to transition Palisades "from decommissioning to an operational 'No Mode' status under the Palisades Renewed Facility Operating License. Entry into 'No Mode' status will allow Palisades Energy to receive, possess, and use source and special nuclear material as reactor fuel, in accordance with the limitations for storage and amounts required for operation".

In a 1 July letter to the NRC, Holtec reports the six licensing and regulatory requests and its readiness to implement the associated licensing actions and activities required to support the transition of Palisades to the "power operations licensing basis".

The NRC said it is still reviewing Holtec's licensing actions. 

Last month, the NRC issued its final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impacts for Holtec's request to return the Palisades Nuclear Plant to an operational status.

At the time it was taken out of service, Palisades was licensed to operate until 2031. Holtec notified the NRC last year that it intends to apply for a second, or subsequent, licence renewal for the plant during the first quarter of 2026. This would extend the plant's operating period by a further 20 years, to 2051.