Federal nuclear regulators have raised concerns about Holtec International’s ambitious timeline to reopen the Palisades nuclear plant by fall 2024. The plant, located in southwest Michigan, was shut down in 2022, and if reopened, it would become the first U.S. nuclear plant to restart after closure.
Holtec has requested two amendments to its operating license in order to address critical issues, including more than 1,000 damaged steam generator tubes discovered during inspections in 2023. To address this, Holtec plans to use a repair technique called “sleeving,” which involves coating the tubes with another material to seal the cracks. While sleeving is a common repair method in nuclear plants worldwide, some members of the public raised concerns about the aging steam generator system and whether a more comprehensive replacement might be needed.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff highlighted that the timeline requested by Holtec, aiming for approval by mid-August, is “very demanding” and could face delays if the required materials or information are incomplete. NRC staff also cautioned that the safety of the plant’s operations would be evaluated to the same standard as any other pressurized water reactor, and the plant will only be allowed to restart if Holtec can demonstrate it can maintain tube integrity during operations.
NRC’s review process will continue, with decisions on other licensing requests expected by the end of July 2024. Holtec’s proposed repair method will be under scrutiny to ensure long-term safety and reliability of the plant’s operations.