Thursday, September 19, 2024
Holtec International said in its latest report that plans to restart the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan are currently in the inspection and maintenance phase and are on schedule, while U.S. regulators are being petitioned to codify regulations on the reopening of shuttered nuclear plants.
Recent progress at the Covert Township plant includes the initial certification of Holtec’s operations, maintenance and technical training programs, requalification of 26 previously licensed Palisades operators, a significant increase in workforce, completion of a chemical clean of the primary cooling system and a comprehensive internal inspection of the reactor vessel. Holtec said the chemical clean has “had a dramatic effect on further improving the plant’s occupational radiation safety standards.”
The focus has now shifted to detailed inspection and maintenance of key systems, including the main turbine, containment structure, high-voltage tower and transformers. A detailed inspection of the plant’s steam generators has been completed, during which the need for additional maintenance work was identified, Holtec said. “A thorough and early inspection enabled us to proactively identify and implement necessary refurbishments before Palisades could be re-operated. Palisades’ owner’s engineers, Nuclear Consultants International (NCI, an independent subsidiary of Holtec), are working with experienced field and external experts to devise and implement industry-proven solutions.”
The company is also nearing completion of preparations for a five-month campaign to transfer spent fuel assemblies currently stored in the plant’s fuel pool to the Hi-Storm FW dry fuel storage system, an integrated on-site storage facility designed and built by Holtec’s nuclear division.
“As nuclear professionals, restoring this plant to the highest level of safety is our top priority. Our primary focus is to ensure that Palisades Nuclear Plant safely and securely returns to operation and that all necessary repairs and maintenance are completed to the highest standards,” said Holtec Chief Nuclear Officer Rich Baroni.
Palisades’ single-unit 800 MWe pressurized water reactor was scheduled to close and be decommissioned in 2022 after more than 40 years of commercial operation. Holtec completed its acquisition of the reactor from its then-owner and operator, Entergy, shortly after the reactor’s closure, and plans to complete dismantling, decontamination, and remediation by 2041. That same month, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) transferred the plant’s operating license to Holtec for decommissioning purposes.
However, Holtec has since announced plans to apply for federal funding to enable the plant to reopen, and filed an application with the NRC in October 2023 to formally begin the process of seeking relicensing for the plant’s electricity generation operations. The company aims to have the plant back on stream by the end of 2025. The plant will be the first U.S. nuclear power plant to resume commercial operation after being closed, and is currently planned to provide clean baseload electricity until at least 2051.
Regulatory Process
According to NRC information, Holtec will need to explain to regulators how it will return the plant’s components to a condition that supports safe operations, restore the plant’s license base to an operational state, and make any necessary upgrades to meet current NRC requirements. NRC staff will carefully review the plant’s regulatory and licensing documentation, inspect new and refurbished components necessary for safe operation, and maintain ongoing oversight to ensure the adequacy of all plant systems and programs. The NRC has established the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant Restart Committee to oversee the restart effort.
Palisades may not be the only shuttered U.S. nuclear plant to reopen. Earlier this year, NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum told investors that the company was looking into the possibility of restarting the Duane Arnold boiling water reactor plant, which closed in 2020. In comments to investors, Constellation Energy CEO Joe Dominguez also did not rule out restarting Three Mile Island Unit 1, which closed in 2019.
Currently, US regulators are being petitioned to amend their regulations to include a Commission-approved process for returning decommissioned nuclear power plants to operating status. In a Federal Register statement, the NRC said it had determined the petition “sufficiently meets the requirements” to be documented and was seeking public comment. The petition was submitted by a former director of engineering for a nuclear power plant and an investigative journalist, and was also signed by residents living near the plant.
“The petition states that NRC staff does not have specific, commission-approved, codified procedures for licensing, inspecting and approving the return to operation of decommissioned power reactors. The petitioners request that the NRC issue a rulemaking that includes codified procedures for returning decommissioned reactors to operating status,” the NRC said.
The regulator added that the review of the petition is a separate process from the NRC’s ongoing consideration of requested actions related to the possible restart of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant.