NRC finds no big enviro impact from Palisades restart, seeks comment

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found no big environmental harm should result from Holtec International’s proposed restart of the 800-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Mich.

Between now and March 3, the NRC is taking public comment on its draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact, according to a Federal Register notice published Friday Jan. 31. Holtec announced the milestone in a Monday  press release.

After NRC staff reviews all the public comments, the agency will decide if sufficient environmental review has been done or if a more extensive environmental impact statement, often favored by environmental groups, is necessary. A link to the full 240-page draft assessment document is available here.

The NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel plans a Holtec hearing on Feb. 12.

Holtec holds a $1.52-billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to go toward repowering the plant that shut down in May 2022 by Entergy, according to the Federal Register notice. 

When asked by Exchange Monitor, Holtec said it feels confident in the loan agreement, even with the Donald Trump administration’s commitment to clawing back federal spending. “The administration has demonstrated strong support for nuclear energy as a cornerstone of America’s energy agenda,” a Holtec spokesperson said via email. “We applaud this commitment to advancing nuclear innovation, and Palisades is proud to be at the forefront of this effort.”

“Restart activities are well underway” with hundreds of workers onsite and working on the project. 

The month after shutdown, Entergy transferred the license to Holtec’s decommissioning wing with plans to defuel the reactor and permanently cease operations.

Palisades has a single pressurized-water reactor with a turbine-generator designed by Westinghouse, NRC said in the Friday filing. The plant located along Lake Michigan was first licensed in 1971 and later renewed its NRC license in 2007, allowing it to operate until March 2031.

If Holtec gets all the necessary permissions an affiliate Palisades Energy, LLC, would become the licensee and be allowed to reload fuel and operate the reactor through March 2031, according to the NRC document.

“We remain confident in our trajectory toward a timely plant restart by the end of this year, pending all necessary federal regulatory reviews and approvals,” said Holtec International President Kelly Trice.