AI Generated Image
A crane lowered eight 12-foot fuel bundles into a reactor on the Lake Michigan shore on Sunday, 196 short of a full core, four years after the vessel was emptied for scrapping, and some of the bundles
Autonocion.com • • business
Key Points:
- Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan began refueling on August 30, 2026, after a four-year hiatus since its shutdown in May 2022; eight of the 204 fuel assemblies have been loaded back into the reactor vessel.
- The restart has been delayed due to extensive repairs, including sleeving 1,163 cracked steam generator tubes, a novel technique for nuclear plants, and other maintenance tasks extending into early 2026.
- The plant's restart is funded by a $1.52 billion federal loan guarantee with $491 million disbursed so far, plus $300 million from Michigan state funds; the new fuel is U.S.-fabricated and free of Russian enriched uranium.
- Legal challenges against the restart were dismissed by a federal court, but local opposition continues; the NRC maintains oversight, with the operating license valid through 2031 and plans for a 20-year renewal underway.
- Palisades is contracted to supply power to Wolverine and Hoosier electric cooperatives, with a deadline to resume operations by March 2027 to meet contractual obligations.
