Palisades re-enters operational status

Palisades, a single-unit pressurised water reactor, ceased operations in May 2022 and was defuelled the following month, although it was licensed to operate until March 2031. The unit's licence was transferred from previous operator Entergy Nuclear Operations to Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC and Holtec Palisades, LLC, for decommissioning, but in late 2023, Holtec began the process of obtaining the licensing approvals needed to return the plant to operational status for the remainder of its licensing term.

Following the completion of technical reviews, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on 24 July this year approved the transfer of operating authority for the plant and its independent spent fuel storage facility from Holtec Decommissioning International LLC to Palisades Energy LLC. It also approved the reinstatement of various documents and programmes that were in place prior to the shutdown, including the technical specifications, emergency plan, emergency action levels, and physical security plan, as well as programmes for quality assurance, maintenance, and in-service inspections.

Holtec has now announced that the plant officially transitioned from decommissioning to operational status under the oversight of the NRC on 25 August, "making Palisades the first nuclear plant in US history to move from decommissioning back to operations".

In a 25 August letter to the NRC, Holtec said Palisades Energy was rescinding the certifications of permanent cessation of operations and permanent removal of fuel from the reactor vessel at Palisades. It said the move was "a necessary step to support reimplementation of the plant's power operations licensing basis".

"With this transition, Palisades is now authorised to receive nuclear fuel and restart the plant once allowable conditions are met within the approved Technical Specifications," Holtec said. "The plant's Emergency Plan is fully active, supported by a trained and engaged Emergency Response Organisation, which completed its FEMA/NRC-graded exercise with local and state partners last month. These steps position Palisades squarely in the final phase of restart preparations, as inspections, testing, and maintenance continue under rigorous independent federal oversight."

Holtec earlier said it was targeting to restart Palisades in the fourth quarter of this year. "Before the plant officially resumes power operations, extensive ongoing project work will be completed," it said.

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.