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Palisades Nuclear Generating Station
Nuclear power plant in Van Buren County, Michigan

The Palisades Nuclear Generating Station is a moth-balled nuclear power plant located on Lake Michigan in Covert Township, Michigan. Built from 1967 to 1970, it features a single Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactor with robust containment structures and a Westinghouse Electric Company turbine generator producing 725 MW. Originally owned by CMS Energy and later sold to Entergy in 2007, Palisades was scheduled for decommissioning in 2031 after license renewal from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Although closed in 2022 and sold to Holtec International, efforts supported by state funding and the Department of Energy aim to restart the plant by late 2025, potentially the first U.S. nuclear plant to resume operations.

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Electricity production

Generation (MWh) of Palisades Power Plant18
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual (Total)
2001592,991512,071571,2852,663298,038371,256-3,857-2,260-2,114-2,025-1,979-5,0232,331,046
2002168,721535,946600,727576,904577,499537,795582,568568,090545,479591,278565,875507,0806,357,962
2003591,649525,637288,895151,228591,727566,907560,312572,715562,716588,899553,522597,2746,151,481
2004597,162537,116596,098569,271583,466560,078461,033429,413196,447-2,294218,324597,7325,343,846
2005397,709541,624598,387574,581590,400562,735581,101576,704497,868583,085559,996579,4266,643,616
2006483,519547,734602,942-2,481219,549576,782585,700590,628574,389602,582518,820603,6975,903,861
2007603,143497,774485,071583,991465,196569,217585,433582,322149,115118,585581,425604,7435,826,015
2008541,751566,389607,111579,786556,350567,071582,065486,670567,326595,073581,797603,3476,834,736
2009602,883456,765408,9210556,099572,986586,004584,081569,329596,345580,914604,3836,118,710
2010605,062546,938593,732562,212594,771445,015523,828579,406556,10452,104581,983599,5066,240,661
2011470,918549,704599,520586,084601,466575,531587,675587,482382,827558,063579,535562,2156,641,020
2012520,384560,994559,11770,773337,644223,603379,584232,642572,715598,924516,978604,8555,178,213
2013601,801406,300601,233582,50078,941240,832586,088586,335570,971594,112584,273608,3106,041,696
2014352,7460279,059590,296603,606447,510591,671587,580575,159601,553586,902606,8445,822,926
2015608,486548,730608,445585,160592,832570,012585,747578,292245,693207,366583,569604,1886,318,520
2016604,084567,887606,693585,596594,084570,444583,080583,768568,757595,017580,097605,6747,045,181
2017606,167546,327410,108246,708153,022573,633592,094591,359576,289601,210589,536611,0436,097,496
2018611,065552,287507,808589,980602,254573,853591,112585,875576,132239,649025,9255,455,940
2019490,769549,023608,203587,459603,692577,448506,100575,922572,336600,323587,265606,6276,865,167
2020607,199567,646606,475585,434600,016570,882583,761512,2690170,462584,075606,9045,995,123
2021607,642548,387607,009585,761600,744572,711553,246577,453571,543596,151586,434607,7187,014,799
2022608,772549,352607,781586,628377,69700000002,730,230

Spent fuel storage

Spent fuel is stored outdoors in 21 16-foot-tall (4.9 m) storage casks, each containing 30 tons and resting on a concrete pad. This was intended to be a temporary solution until the spent fuel repository at Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository opened.

Parts replacement

Two steam generators were replaced in 1992. This involved cutting a 28 by 26 foot opening through the 3.5-foot-thick (1.1 m) reinforced concrete wall. The removed units are stored in a large concrete building on plant property.19

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.20

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Palisades was 28,644, a decrease of 4.5 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 1,326,618, an increase of 4.4 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include South Bend, IN (45 miles to city center) and Kalamazoo, MI.21

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Palisades was 1 in 156,250, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.2223

Visiting

Like all U.S. nuclear power plants since September 11, 2001, public access to Palisades is prohibited. However, Palisades can be glimpsed from the neighboring Van Buren State Park.

Decommissioning

Originally planned to operate through May 31, 2022, concerns over a faulty control rod drive seal prompted operators to remove the plant from service on May 20.24

Once all fuel is removed from the reactor core, Holtec will buy the plant from Entergy and begin a three year process of moving all fuel to dry cask storage. Then a ten year pause to allow the decommissioning trust fund balance to grow followed by a 6 year long dismantling process, with an estimated completion date of 2041.25

The cost of decommissioning will be covered by a $550-million trust fund, paid for by Consumers Energy customers.26

Intention to restart operations

In January 2024, the federal government was poised to offer Holtec International a $1.5 billion federal loan to restart the Palisades nuclear plant.27 The loan was reported at the time to potentially start as soon as February 2024.28 The conditional agreement was announced on March 27.29 If successful, Palisades would become the first U.S. nuclear reactor to restart after its fuel has been removed and its license revised to prohibit further operation.3031 The plan for a restart by Holtec International (based in Jupiter, Florida) got a boost after Wolverine Power Cooperative, a local power company, agreed to buy as much as 2/3 of the plant’s output starting as soon as late 2025, though additional hurdles, including sign off from federal nuclear regulators, remain.32 Holtec acquired the 800-megawatt power plant in 2022 after Entergy Corp. closed it due to financial reasons.

Small modular reactor plans

In December 2023, Holtec International announced that it intended to build the first two of its SMR-300 small modular reactors at Palisades by mid-2030.33

See also

  • Michigan portal
  • Energy portal
  • Nuclear technology portal

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palisades Nuclear Generating Station.

References

  1. Swidwa, Julie (December 9, 2016). "Timeline: Palisades' rocky history". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved December 9, 2016. http://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/local/timeline-palisades-rocky-history/article_50100b83-50c3-595f-93a7-0a49ba66c9e1.html ↩

  2. "Entergy News Release - Corporate". Entergy.com. 2006-07-12. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-12-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234125/http://www.entergy.com/news_room/newsrelease.aspx?NR_ID=853 ↩

  3. "Local News: Extension approved for Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, license, plant, nuclear - wwmt.com". 2007-01-18. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2016-12-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927093156/http://www.wwmt.com/onset?id=33917&template=article.html ↩

  4. Galford, Chris (2017-09-29). "Palisades Nuclear Power Plant to continue operations until 2022". Daily Energy Insider. Retrieved 2017-10-10. https://dailyenergyinsider.com/featured/8168-palisades-nuclear-power-plant-continue-operations-2022/ ↩

  5. "With Emissions Soaring, Democratic Governors Sour On Plans To Shut Down Nuclear Power". MSN. Retrieved 2022-05-03. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/with-emissions-soaring-democratic-governors-sour-on-plans-to-shut-down-nuclear-power/ar-AAWRKUj ↩

  6. Newman, Alexandra (September 29, 2017). "Palisades to stay open to 2022". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved September 29, 2017. http://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/local/palisades-to-stay-open-to/article_e353dc68-244f-5446-b1cd-e37043aa6f65.html ↩

  7. Palisades Power Plant shuts down early, WOODtv, Matt Jaworowski, May 20, 2022 https://www.woodtv.com/news/michigan/palisades-power-plant-shuts-down-early/ ↩

  8. Knot, Juliana (June 28, 2022). "Entergy completes Palisades sale to Holtec, decommissioning begins". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved June 29, 2022. https://www.heraldpalladium.com/communities/covert/entergy-completes-palisades-sale-to-holtec-decommissioning-begins/article_39b6919b-b157-5256-9ec1-df5873b41bf1.html ↩

  9. Boatman, Michael (10 September 2022). "In surprise move, Whitmer announces plan to reopen shuttered Palisades nuclear plant". Retrieved 10 September 2022. https://news.yahoo.com/surprise-move-whitmer-announces-plan-195314607.html ↩

  10. House, Kelly (21 November 2022). "Feds deny funding to reopen Michigan's Palisades nuclear plant". Retrieved 21 November 2022. https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/feds-deny-funding-reopen-michigans-palisades-nuclear-plant ↩

  11. Beggin, Riley. "Owner of Palisades to reapply for funding to reopen nuclear power plant". Detroit News. Retrieved 23 December 2022. https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/12/19/palisades-nuclear-power-plant-to-reapply-for-federal-funding/69740779007/ ↩

  12. Wittkowski, Tony (June 27, 2023). "State, local officials push for urgency to repower former Palisades plant". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved June 28, 2023. https://www.heraldpalladium.com/communities/covert/state-local-officials-push-for-urgency-to-repower-former-palisades-plant/article_687a2135-82a1-59af-9e99-18e645df3818.html ↩

  13. [1], Retrieved 2024-01-31 https://www.wolverinepowercooperative.com/2023/09/12/holtec-international-and-wolverine-power-cooperative-sign-historic-agreement-for-restart-of-palisades-nuclear-power-plant/ ↩

  14. Niiler, Eric (2024-08-26). "Can a Closed Nuclear Power Plant From the '70s Be Brought Back to Life? - Surging demand for electricity and new investment in green energy drove the plan to restart Michigan's decommissioned Palisades plant. It would be a global first". Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/biden-nuclear-power-plant-loan-michigan-eee64904 ↩

  15. "LPO Announces Conditional Commitment to Holtec Palisades to Finance the Restoration and Resumption of Service of 800-MW Nuclear Generating Station". Energy.gov. March 27, 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-04-05. Retrieved April 5, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240405161300/https://www.energy.gov/lpo/articles/lpo-announces-conditional-commitment-holtec-palisades-finance-restoration-and ↩

  16. Halper, Evan (July 10, 2024). "A nuclear accident made Three Mile Island infamous. AI's needs may revive it". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 12, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/07/10/three-mile-island-nuclear-artificial-intelligence/ ↩

  17. "Report: Feds will give $1.5 billion to restart Palisades nuclear plant". Bridge Michigan. January 31, 2024. https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/report-feds-will-give-15-billion-restart-palisades-nuclear-plant ↩

  18. "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-07. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/1715/?freq=M&pin= ↩

  19. "Palisades Steam Generator Replacement Project-1992 NOVA Award Winner". Cif.org. Retrieved 2016-12-09. http://www.cif.org/nominations/nom_67.html ↩

  20. "Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness at Nuclear Power Plants". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 2019-12-22. https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/emerg-plan-prep-nuc-power.html ↩

  21. "Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors". NBC News. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2024-04-04. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42555888 ↩

  22. "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk". NBC News. 2011-03-16. Retrieved 2024-04-04. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42103936 ↩

  23. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2011-04-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) https://web.archive.org/web/20170525170632/http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/quake%20nrc%20risk%20estimates.pdf ↩

  24. Weidmayer, Marie. "Palisades nuclear power plant shuts down 11 days early". MLive. Retrieved 6 June 2022. https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2022/05/palisades-nuclear-power-plant-shuts-down-11-days-early.html ↩

  25. Jennerjahn, Allie. "Palisades nuclear power plant plans for 19 year decommissioning". NewsChannel 3. Retrieved 6 June 2022. https://wwmt.com/news/local/entergys-palisades-nuclear-power-plant-19-year-decommissioning-holtec-reactor-seal-electricity ↩

  26. Muyskens, Carolyn. "Regulators approve sale of soon-to-be-shuttered Palisades Nuclear Plant". The Holland Sentinel. Retrieved 2022-01-19. https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/regional/2022/01/04/regulators-approve-sale-palisades-nuclear-plant/9076515002/ ↩

  27. "Holtec to be offered $1.5 billion loan to restart Palisades nuclear plant". Power Engineering. 31 Jan 2024. Retrieved 31 Jan 2024. https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/holtec-to-be-offered-1-5-billion-loan-to-restart-palisades-nuclear-plant/ ↩

  28. "Biden to Offer $1.5 Billion Loan to Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant". Bloomberg.com. 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2024-04-04. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-30/biden-to-offer-1-5-billion-loan-to-restart-michigan-nuke-plant ↩

  29. "LPO Announces Conditional Commitment to Holtec Palisades to Finance the Restoration and Resumption of Service of 800-MW Nuclear Generating Station". Energy.gov. March 27, 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-04-05. Retrieved April 5, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240405161300/https://www.energy.gov/lpo/articles/lpo-announces-conditional-commitment-holtec-palisades-finance-restoration-and ↩

  30. "Company seeks first-time restart of shuttered nuclear plant". AP News. 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2024-04-04. https://apnews.com/article/palisades-nuclear-power-biden-whitmer-55019ca6d17c2b1965cae0de2f3a6235 ↩

  31. "NRC Approves Changes to Palisades Nuclear Plant's Emergency Planning Requirements" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-04-04. https://www.nrc.gov/cdn/doc-collection-news/2023/23-077.pdf ↩

  32. Netter, Ari. "Biden to offer $1.5B loan to restart nuclear power plant on Lake Michigan". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-04-04. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2024/01/30/biden-to-offer-1-5-billion-loan-to-restart-michigan-nuclear-power-plant/72415846007/ ↩

  33. "Palisades SMR programme is under way: Holtec". World Nuclear News. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Palisades-SMR-programme-is-under-way-Holtec ↩