In a pivotal moment for U.S. history, efforts to reactivate the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant are progressing steadily.
Holtec President Kelly Trice has confirmed that the project remains on budget and on track for reopening later this year.
“One we closed the Department of Energy loan,” Trice says. “Two, we have almost fully staffed the plant now. For those that don’t know, we’ve added 350 jobs for a total now of 560 people on site. There’s actually, if you count the building trades and the professionals on the job, there’s now 1,400 people approximately working on this job to get this restarted before this year is out.”
Additionally, Trice highlighted that Palisades will serve as a launching point for the new small modular reactors, which will facilitate the training and licensing of operators, as well as support a qualified program.
“Most of our competition talks about breaking ground,” Trice says. “We have already broken ground. We have already done the core borings, several hundred core borings, several hundred feet deep, and we’re in the process of constructing the environmental report, which goes with the license application for this plant.”
Holtec plans to submit the initial part of the construction permit for the SMRs this year, with aspirations to order the two reactor vessels, steam generators, piping, and main coolant pumps for the Palisades plant before the end of the year.
The Palisades nuclear power plant is slated to become the first plant to restart in October 2025.
