The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined there would be no significant environmental impact from restarting the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan. 

The NRC decision issued May 30 reaches the same conclusion as its draft decision Jan. 31. 

The 800-MW facility in Covert Township formerly operated by Entergy went offline in May 2022 in preparation for decommissioning, but barely a year later, new owner Holtec International began to float the idea of bringing it back into service.

No commercial reactor in the United States has been restarted in such a scenario, although Constellation is working toward that goal with the former Three Mile Island Unit 1, which shut down in 2019, and NextEra has filed notice with the NRC about potentially restarting the Duane Arnold Energy Center, which ceased operations in 2020. 

The NRC issued the environmental assessment of the Palisades proposal in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, which in September 2024 extended a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to Holtec to help financed the effort. 

More recently, in March, DOE approved disbursement of $56.8 million for that purpose — a relatively small sum, but notable amid the wholesale slashing under way at the time as the new Trump administration took aim at the clean energy priorities of the Biden administration. 

While the two presidents have little common ground on wind and solar generation, both have supported nuclear power with words and deeds. (See Trump Orders Nuclear Regulatory Acceleration, Streamlining.) 

In the determination issued May 30, NRC said restarting Palisades would provide baseload power to meet current system needs. Holtec also noted it would help Michigan reach its targets of at least 80% clean energy by 2035 and 100% by 2040. 

NRC said it considered 11 potential direct or indirect environmental impacts from a restart and determined none would be significant. It also determined there are no environmentally preferable alternatives to restarting Palisades. 

In an April update, Holtec said the project remains on schedule and on budget. As it refurbishes the physical plant, it is rebuilding its workforce: Staffing has rebounded from a low of 220 to 570, 26 plant operators have requalified, and the first initial operator class was on track to complete their license exams this month. 

Also, FERC approved Holtec’s waiver request to maintain the grid interconnection, which was suspended after the plant shut down and otherwise would have been sunsetted.