Holtec published a progress report on September 21, 2026, on its work to return the Palisades nuclear plant in Covert Township, Michigan, to operation. The company describes itself as "recommissioning the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan, which would be the first commercial nuclear reactor in the United States to be repowered after permanent shutdown." Parts of it follow, not the whole.
Fuel Loading, Paused
Palisades "entered Mode 6 (Refueling) and began loading fuel into the reactor vessel on August 30, 2026," the report says. During that work, "one fuel assembly tilted from its upright position after it had been placed, and the fuel-handling machine grapple had been disengaged." The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was notified. Plant personnel, the report says, "determined that it did not trigger the safety reporting requirements under NRC regulations."
Fuel loading, the report says, "remains paused while Holtec addresses the affected fuel assembly." The company has begun a root cause evaluation, and its engineering division has devised and is developing equipment to retrieve the fuel and return it to the spent fuel pool. Palisades is also preparing a license amendment request for the NRC "related to the proposed methodology to retrieve the assembly."
Startup Preparations
Other restart work goes on. The report says activities "that are not dependent on resolution of the fuel-loading matter continue in parallel." Progression to the next operating modes "remains subject to satisfactory resolution of the affected fuel assembly, completion of required testing and modifications, and applicable NRC approvals."
After the completion of fuel loading and the reassembly of the reactor vessel, the plant "will prepare to transition to Mode 5, or Cold Shutdown, with the reactor shut down and the reactor coolant system maintained at low temperature and pressure." Teams are continuing work, the report says, including testing to verify that "plant cooling, electrical, protection, and other systems are ready to perform as designed."
The report names the conditions on the next step and puts a date on none of them.
The Switchyard
On September 11, 2026, the report says, Palisades "reconnected to the 345-kV switchyard following extensive restoration work" coordinated with the transmission company whose high-voltage system serves the plant. "The switchyard will ultimately provide the path for electricity generated by Palisades to reach the transmission grid." Final commissioning and testing of the switchyard, it says, are continuing.
The company says it remains focused on "returning Palisades to safe and reliable operation once all restart work is complete and all applicable federal requirements and industry standards are met." Its cautionary statement says that its forward-looking statements about the restart "speak only as of the date of this release."
When will fuel loading resume?
Sources
- Holtec International. Progress Report on Palisades' March to Startup (Holtec Highlights). 21 September 2026. company filing