Fuel loading is underway at the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, marking one of the key final steps toward restarting the reactor that shut down in 2022, Holtec International announced Sunday.
“We are thrilled to announce that Palisades began the process for loading nuclear fuel into the plant’s reactor vessel this morning, marking a historic milestone as America’s first shuttered nuclear power plant begins its step-by-step return to active power generation,” Holtec said in an Aug. 30 news release.
There will be 204 fuel assemblies in the reactor core, including brand new fuel and some partly used from the last time the 805-megawatt power plant operated, Holtec said.
The Palisades restart reached this point after “more than two years of extensive inspection, maintenance, refurbishment, testing, and equipment upgrades across the station to ensure utmost reliability and resiliency for long-term operation,” Holtec said in the release.
The release did not say when exactly Palisades might start generating electricity again. Holtec said in the release it still faces numerous tests and inspections, coordinated with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) before the plant can restart operations.
“The reincarnation of Palisades as an operating plant has been made possible by critical financial support from the State of Michigan, a substantial loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, and long-term power purchase agreements with Wolverine Power Cooperative and Hoosier Energy,” Holtec said in the release.
Former Energy Secretary and a former Michigan governor, Jennifer Granholm said in a Monday LinkedIn post that Palisades is close to making U.S. history by becoming the first shuttered nuclear plant to restart its operations. Granholm, who approved the $1.52 billion DOE loan for Palisades in 2024, said that the Michigan plant’s restart comes at a time when energy demand, primarily driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced manufacturing, is rising and will bring 805 megawatts back on the grid.
Current Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in June that the Palisades nuclear power plant will help power AI data centers in Michigan when it is back online.
“There’s a bigger lesson here. Sometimes the fastest way to build the energy system of the future is to recognize the value of what we already have,” Granholm said. “Keep nuclear plants operating. Uprate them where we can. Restart assets that make sense. Reuse existing power sites. Upgrade existing transmission corridors. And build new clean power at a pace that matches the extraordinary demand coming our way.”
The pressurized water reactor in Covert, Mich., is currently licensed by NRC to operate into March 2031.