The Nuclear Regulatory Federal Commission has approved key actions that will allow to restart the 800 MW Palisada Nuclear Power Station at the end of this year, including fuel recharging, which could turn it into the first disassociated facility in the United States to return to operation.
The Covert Reactor, Mich., Pressurized-Water, which opened in 1971, closed in 2022. The previous owner Entergy, then sold it to Holtec International to turn off as part of his strategy to leave the nuclear energy sector from the sale of the 620 MW Vermont Yankee plant in Vernon, v., In 2013.
With the Trump administration for extended nuclear energy, the United States Department of Energy approved last year until a $ 1.52 million loan guarantee for the restart of Palisades. It is also sought to restart for 2027 a unit of the first nuclear plants of the three miles of Pennsylvania, closed in 2019 and now owned by Constellation Energy, which last year reached an energy supply agreement of the 20 -year data center with the Microsoft technological giant.
Holtec, who oversees the dismissal, obtained the approval of the commission in July to load fuel to the plant and a relization to extend the operation. An environmental commission of the May Commission concluded that restarting the plant would have “no significant impact” on the human environment.
But there is opposition to the proposed reopening. Responding to environmental evaluation, the group of opponents beyond nuclear says that it restarts the plant, located along Lake Michigan, is dangerous. The Commission’s staff “has determined that there are no significant dangers,” says Kevin Kamps, a group spokesman. “What about the future welfare of the Great Lakes basin: 21% of the freshwater of the surface of the whole planet?” It also pointed to an added risk to aquatic species.
“There are no fast tracks or shortcuts in nuclear energy. We are doing a thorough work,” he said Nick blame, Holtec spokesman at a recent community meeting. “When Palisades returns to the line, safety and reliability will be key.”
From the start -up to restart
According to Holtec, the crews have been dismantling and inspecting the main generator of the plant, maintenance of the key turbine valves and the test leaves. Inside the reactor, the initial welding has been completed in the closing nozzles of the replacement reactor ship, a significant update of the reliability of the plant, according to the company.
The rehabilitation of the steam generator is also moving forward, using a tube method proven by the industry, which will be followed by the cleaning of the secondary face, the elimination of sludge and the passivation of the refrigerant system of the reactor to prevent corrosion and ensure the longevity of steam generator tubes.
But in a meeting of the August 21 sub -committee of the Nuclear Regulatory Advisory Committee on Security Safety, an independent group of Congress of Recognized Experts, the engineer Arnold Gundersen, who has worked in the nuclear sector for more than 50 years, said that the steam generators of the Palaisada plant have been degraded to the point that they are not safe, non -favorable and non -supportable, non -favorable, non -favorable, Remedies.
“Holtec wants to set a solution to the help of the steam generators of palisadas to keep them united. But band aids are useless, as steam generators are gangrimous. A full replacement of the steam generator is needed,” he said. I have never been more concerned about the safety of a nuclear power plant than the planned “resurrection” of palisades “.
Holtec plans to build small modular reactors (SMRS) who say that he would minimize public safety and environmental risks. The firm has proposed two of its SMR-300 models, but the federal certification “has not yet passed and the granting of licenses for construction and the operation has not begun,” Kamps said to Enr. “We fear the rise of breakdown phase in the restarted zombie reactors, such as the failure of the steam generator tube that can cause a catastrophic fusion of the nucleus.”
Members of the American Society have generally praised the decision to restart the installation through a small modular reactor technology.
In 2024, when the restart was approved, Kenneth Petersen, his then president, said that the “premature loss” of 800 MW of carbon free energy due to the closure of palisades has led to more natural gas consumption. “Palisades of repodence would restore the quality of the Michigan air at pre-plate levels and will help a Michigan in carbon neutrality for electricity consumption for 2040”. he said.
