Holtec International said Monday that restart of the Palisades nuclear plant in Covert, Mich., is “imminent” following delivery of 68 nuclear fuel assemblies.
“The fuel was fabricated domestically by a highly respected nuclear fuel manufacturer that has supplied Palisades and others in the nuclear industry for decades,” Holtec said in a Monday news release. Holtec did not actually reveal the fuel maker.
The fuel has been placed in “secure storage” within the Spent Fuel Pool Building where it will remain until it is loaded into the reactor core, Holtec went on to say. Other major work, including chemical cleaning of the secondary side of the steam generators, is underway, the company said.
“The esprit de corps of our tirelessly toiling worker force, over 1,800 strong boosted by the stout support of federal, state, and local government as well as our industry partners, labor, and the Southwest Michigan community, is a testament to the national consensus and our collective will to harness nuclear energy to meet the galloping demand for power in our country,” said Holtec’s CEO Kris Singh in the statement.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted Palisades operational status in September. Palisades is an 800-megawatt nuclear plant that previously shut down in 2022 and had been undergoing decommissioning.