Palisades enters final stage of work before restart

Among the final accomplishments in this 'project phase' of restart was placement of the plant's turbine-generator on turning gear following extensive inspections, maintenance, testing, and refurbishment activities. Holtec said another major achievement was installation and testing of a new state-of-the-art fuel handling machine, completing the upgraded fuel handling system.

"Together, these projects represent the culmination of a series of major efforts carried out across the station," Holtec said. "They mark an important transition in the Palisades restart, which included reactor vessel inspections and replacement of reactor head penetrations, primary system chemical decontamination and passivation, steam generator tube refurbishment and secondary-side cleaning, fuel receipt and inspection, operator training and requalification, and numerous equipment upgrades and modernisation projects. Throughout this phase, our focus has been ensuring that Palisades is ready to support decades of safe, reliable operation."

_{The new fuel handling machine (Image: Holtec)}

Enterprise Unit Head Steven Soler and Site Vice President Michael Schultheis said: "These accomplishments reflect the tremendous amount of work performed across the station throughout the restart effort. "We're now focused on safely executing the remaining testing, verification, and operational readiness activities required before startup. The plant is coming back together, and the professionalism and dedication demonstrated by our workforce continue to move the project forward."

With the projects phase successfully completed, the plant's managers, superintendents, and supervisors have shifted their focus to the remaining work through the Operations Command Centre and several dedicated coordination teams, where work is being managed around the clock to prepare the plant for startup.

Holtec noted that, although more 5,000 individual work activities remain, "this transition represents an important milestone in the historic restart effort".

"As we enter the final phase of this historic effort, we are grateful for the support provided by our federal, state, and community partners, whose collaboration has helped make this pioneering effort possible," said Holtec Chairman and CEO Kris Singh. "The Palisades restart will forever serve as lasting evidence of what can be accomplished when government and private industry work together to achieve an important national objective."

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.

Holtec notified the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2024 that it intends to apply for a second, or subsequent, licence renewal for the plant. This would extend the plant's operating period by a further 20 years, to 2051.