Competitive, safe and low carbon, the Palisades reactor in Michigan in the United States, shut down in 2022, will be restarted as soon as the safety authority authorizes its use. This asset will allow the State to supply itself with competitive, low-carbon electricity.
The Palisades (Michigan) power plant, shut down in 2022, could become the first successfully restarted nuclear power plant in the United States. Holtec International has indeed filed a file with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to officially begin the process of requesting reauthorization of the power generation activities of the plant.
« Our permit application is an important step in exploring Palisades’ potential to continue to contribute to the region’s energy and economic needs, while adhering to the highest safety and regulatory standards », explains Jean Fleming, vice-president of Holtec International. “ We understand the importance of nuclear power in our nation’s energy mix and the critical role it plays in providing safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity here in Michigan », he adds.
High level of performance
Holtec assures that Palisades’ safety and operational performance met the highest standards in the nuclear industry at the time of its closure. The industrialist adds that the systems and equipment remain well maintained and are “in excellent material condition”.
Palisades has a single reactor that entered commercial operation in 1971. Entergy announced in 2016 its intention to close the plant, with the NRC approving the transfer of Entergy’s license to Holtec in 2021 for decommissioning. The 805 MWe pressurized water reactor was decommissioned – after 50 years – by Entergy on May 20, 2022 and defueled on June 10.
The sale to Holtec was finalized that same month, and Holtec announced days later that it was seeking federal funding to allow it to restart the plant. The company was unsuccessful in the first phase of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Civil Nuclear Credit Program, but announced in December 2022 that it was reapplying.
SMRs to come
With success this time since on July 31, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law the Michigan state budget for fiscal year 2024, which provides $150 million in funding for the restart of the central. In August, Holtec announced the signing of a long-term power purchase agreement with the nonprofit Wolverine Power Cooperative. Under the multi-year agreement, Wolverine agrees to purchase two-thirds of the electricity generated by the reopening Palisades, with Wolverine’s partner, Hoosier Energy, purchasing the remainder. It also includes a “contract extension clause » to include one or two small SMR reactors that Holtec plans to install on the site.
Holtec said the return to service of Palisades “will significantly improve Michigan’s carbon-free energy production, the region’s grid reliability and decrease the region’s reliance on costly energy imports.”e “. The United States currently has 93 reactors in operation with a total power of approximately 96 GW.
Backtracking on nuclear reactor closure strategies is becoming commonplace around the world. As indicated in the report on the relaunch of Sfen Nuclear power, “ many countries, which were considering the closure of nuclear reactors, have recently changed their policies “. This is the case in several states in the United States (Michigan, California, etc.), in France or in Belgium for example. ■
2023-10-09 17:35:31
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