Federal regulators issued a series of approvals Thursday that pave the way for a shuttered nuclear power plant near Lake Michigan to become the first such plant in the U.S. to restart operations.
The company Holtec bought the Palisades Nuclear Plant in southwest Michigan’s Covert Township in 2022, initially saying that it planned to decommission the plant, which once had one of the worst safety ratings in the country.
Later that year, Holtec announced it would seek regulatory approval to restart the plant.
Environmental groups and some local residents have objected, saying they have concerns about the plant’s safety and the potential for harm to people’s health and the local environment. They’ve cited an inspection last year that found problems with more than 1,000 tubes in the plant’s steam generator system.
Holtec said fixes for the tubes would not affect its proposed timeline for reopening the plant.
Thursday’s approvals allow Holtec to load fuel into the reactor starting next month, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said they mark the first time a nuclear plant has been granted an operating license after being licensed for decommissioning.
The NRC said Holtec still needs approval on several more regulatory items before it can start operating the plant again.
In a statement, Holtec said Thursday’s approvals represent “a proud and historic moment for our team, for Michigan, and for the United States.”
“Once returned to service, Palisades will generate more than 800 megawatts of safe, reliable, and carbon-free baseload power – enough to power more than 800,000 households,” the statement continued.
“The restart of Palisades will enhance grid reliability and help meet growing energy demand in Michigan and beyond,” the company said.
That was little solace to Beyond Nuclear, one of the groups opposing the restart effort.
“The zombie reactor restart scheme is unneeded, insanely expensive for the public, and extremely high risk for health, safety, security, and the environment,” the group said in a statement.
“It is a grand nuclear experiment, and those of us downwind, downstream, up the food chain, and down the generations are the potential guinea pigs.”
Beyond Nuclear, which has challenged several of the steps that Holtec and federal regulators have taken toward reopening the plant, said if the restart does receive final approval, the group will oppose it in federal court.
