Palisades Nuclear Plant to Pioneer Small Modular Reactors in U.S.

Holtec and Hyundai plan to restart the Michigan facility and add advanced reactors, pending regulatory approval.

Holtec International has partnered with Hyundai Engineering and Construction to build two small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan.
The Palisades plant, which was shut down in 2022, aims to restart its original reactor by October 2025, subject to Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval.
If successful, the Palisades project would mark the first-ever restart of a decommissioned nuclear plant in U.S. history.
Holtec intends to expand the plant's capacity by adding two 300-megawatt SMRs, nearly doubling its previous 800-megawatt output.
The project faces challenges, including unlicensed reactor designs, corrosion in over 1,000 steam generator tubes, and NRC concerns over the aggressive timeline.