COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. — West Michigan's shuttered nuclear power plant won't start generating electricity until 2026, the company confirmed in a statement to FOX 17.
Palisades Nuclear Generating Station is in the middle of the first restart of a nuclear reactor in U.S. history. The plant was estimated to restart by the end of 2025 at the earliest, but the on-going process to rehabilitate and test the various pieces of equipment will push power generating to 2026.
"The Palisades restart remains on track within our restart window and under budget," said Holtec Spokesperson Nick Culp. "We are planning for a return to service in early 2026. The plant will return to service once all of our scheduled restart activities are completed to meet high federal and industry standards, supporting long-term safe and reliable operations."
When the plant shut down in 2022, Holtec, the company who owns it, was already petitioning for funding to re-open it.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a $1.52 billion loan for Palisades. The state legislature also dedicated $150 million that year for the restart effort.
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Dept. of Energy sends $400 million to small nuclear reactor project at Palisades
Since then the company has been inspecting and replacing equipment. The restoration hasn't been without pitfalls. In October a contractor fell into a pool of water and had to be decontaminated.
The plant already has fuel on hand for whenever it has the green light to restart.
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