A technician working for a contractor performing radiological assessments at the 800 MW Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Michigan, on Oct. 21 fell into a pool of radioactive water above the reactor, said Holtec International, which owns the decommissioned plant but has begun work on the site to possibly restart operations in late 2025, without confirming a final opening date.
The restart of the plant would be the first in the US, prompted by the Trump administration’s new policy on nuclear power.
According to a report by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the employee of a company that was not identified but has a contract with Holtec, “fell into the reactor cavity … which is filled with water. [and] ingested some water from the cavity.” The unidentified individual “was decontaminated by radiation protection personnel, but 300 counts per minute were detected in [the person’s] hair.”
The recovery effort is supported by more than 1,000 contractors, vendors and suppliers, according to Holtec.
Nick Culp, a spokesman for Holtec International, said the worker “was quickly assisted from the water, assessed, monitored and decontaminated for extractable contamination in accordance with industry standards and established safety procedures.”
The worker suffered minor injuries and has since returned to work, he said.
Culp said radiological evaluations of the worker “are ongoing and are expected to confirm exposure well below regulatory and administrative dose limits. The Commission, which regulates the construction and operation of the nuclear power plant, “was properly notified, and a review of human performance factors contributing to the incident is underway,” he added.
The contractor “was wearing all necessary personal protective equipment, including a life jacket, which is standard when working near the pool without any barriers.”
The Palisades site opened in 1971 and closed in 2022. The previous owner, Entergy, sold it to Holtec for closure as part of its strategy to exit the nuclear power sector. Holtec, which oversaw the shutdown, won NRC approval in July to load fuel at the plant and a new license to expand the operation.
In August, the plant received new fuel as 68 sets. Holtec said the procurement of the fuel was “one of the first long-term activities of the project, requiring months of technical preparation and regulatory coordination”.
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Major restoration work is also underway throughout the plant, including the reassembly of the main turbine generator after more than a year of inspections, testing and maintenance. The plant recently received and installed the second of two fully refurbished primary coolant pump motors, which are essential for reactor coolant recirculation.
The plant secured a $1.52 billion federal loan earlier this year to finance work related to the restart.
Holtec said chemical cleaning of the secondary side of the steam generators is another critical restoration step, following the previous renewal of the steam generator tubes to ensure long-term reliability and efficiency.
CEO Kris Singh said more than 1,800 people are working on the project.
But Michael Keegan, a member of the community group Don’t Waste Michigan, questioned the pace of the restart effort. “Where is the quality assurance?” he said “They’ve been at breakneck speed trying to restart this reactor. I’m certainly concerned for the person who ingested, inhaled or drank contaminated water.”
