Overview
- Holtec says 68 fresh uranium fuel assemblies arrived at Palisades and were placed in the spent fuel pool for inspection and storage.
- No fuel has been loaded into the reactor, and the multi-day loading process will start only after inspections are complete, according to company officials.
- A contractor fell into the water-filled reactor cavity on Oct. 21, ingested some water, was decontaminated with about 300 counts per minute detected in their hair, and later returned to work with minor injuries.
- The NRC previously shifted the plant from decommissioning to operations status, and a successful restart would be the first U.S. commercial reactor to return to service after entering decommissioning.
- Holtec plans to blend the new fuel with 136 previously used assemblies and continues refurbishment work as environmental groups challenge the restart and seek tighter oversight.