"Michigan's Palisades Nuclear Plant Restart Date is Still Unclear"
https://www.enr.com/articles/64245-michigans-palisades-nuclear-plant-restart-date-is-still-unclear
Michigan's Palisades Nuclear Plant Restart Date is Still Unclear
By Debra K. Rubin
Credit: Holtec International
November 9, 2026
Despite a multi-week setback related to a mishap in work by Holtec International to restart the decommissioned Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan and regulators' concern about the site’s "chilled" safety environment, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the 800-MW facility, closed since mid-2022, “would be back running” before year-end, possibly as early as Nov. 30.
Wright made the comment at an Oct. 29 visit to the site on the eastern side of Lake Michigan. The firm has not publicly committed to the prediction or to any restart date estimate, with plant spokesman Nick Culp noting that it will happen “when all required work is complete and all applicable U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements and industry standards are met.”
The firm had set previous plant restart dates since recommissioning began in 2025, aided by $1.5 billion in federal funds.
The restart would be the first for a commercial nuclear power reactor in the U.S.
Axios Pro reported Nov. 3 that Holtec "cut hundreds of workers and reshuffled leadership as Palisades nuclear restart fell roughly a year behind schedule," based on what it said was information from five unidentified "industry sources."
According to what could be determined from the report, Holtec CEO Krishna Singh has taken the added role of president of global clean energy opportunities, with the departure of Rick Springman, promoted to that position in 2023 to be responsible for global strategy, new project development and commercial structures to deploy clean energy technologies, including small modular reactors. Chief Nuclear Officer Fadi Diya has assumed responsibility to direct the firm's small modular reactor program, Axios Pro said.
"The Palisades restart is an unprecedented undertaking involving extensive equipment restoration, plant modifications, system testing, and the rebuilding of a fully staffed nuclear operating organization," Culp said. "At its peak, the project brought together more than 2,000 nuclear professionals, skilled tradespeople and contractors. As significant restoration and construction activities are completed, we are reducing contractor staffing levels consistent with the transition from a major restart project to long-term plant operations.
Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics?
Try Ask ENR, our new smart AI search tool.Ask ENR→
Try Ask ENR, our new smart AI search tool.Ask ENR→
He declned comment on restart delay noted by Axios Pro or on the executive shifts, but said that "leadership transitions are a normal part of managing a project of this scale and complexity."
'Chillled Environment'
Plant fuel loading was disrupted on Aug. 30, after a fuel assembly unexpectedly tilted inside the reactor, although with no radiation release or work erinjuries. After gaining federal approval for use of an alternative method to remove the fuel assembly from the reactor vessel and transport it to a spent fuel pool on site, work completed in late October.
The commission also identified in an Oct. 13 letter to Holtec a “chilled work environment” in the project supply-chain and quality-assurance functions, following a safety inspection at the site, finding employee reluctance to raise safety concerns because of perceived fear of retaliation, even termination.
“It is important for Holtec and Palisades to assess the culture for these work departments, address the causes that created and sustained the chilled work environment ... and take steps to ensure that all staff at Holtec and Palisades are willing to openly raise safety concerns at all levels,” the commission said. It said it found no violations or major plant-safety risks that would halt or compromise restart.
Diya said in a statement that the firm "approached this recovery with the same commitment to safety, technical rigor and teamwork that has guided our work throughout the restart."
But nuclear engineer David Lochbaum, former director of nuclear safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, who opposes the restart, said the warning letter from the commission was “very rare.”
Holtec, which must submit to the commission by Nov. 13 a safety "corrective action" plan that includes an independent evaluation and management outreach to employees, said it is taking actions as required.
Separately, a New Jersey jury last month awarded the company's former chief financial officer $2.1 million after finding it retaliated against him for raising concerns about a draft investment document related to its small modular nuclear reactor fleet, which Holtec said it disputes and will appeal.
- Log in to post comments
