Work to bring the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant back online has reached another milestone, with owner Holtec International announcing completion of a critical step known as “passivation” of the plant’s primary system.
In plain terms, that means the plant’s main reactor system has been brought back up to normal operating temperature and pressure for the first time since it shut down in May of 2022 — a significant checkpoint in the long road toward restarting the facility.
Holtec officials say the process helps protect key components inside the system by restoring internal surfaces and stabilizing water chemistry, improving long-term reliability once the plant is back in service.
Steam was visible rising from the plant during the testing phase, marking the first time in nearly four years the system has operated under those conditions.
Part of a broader restart effort
The passivation work builds on nearly two years of repairs, inspections, and upgrades at the Covert Township site.
Among the major projects already completed:
- Repairs to thousands of steam generator tubes
- Restoration of critical welds within the reactor system
- A comprehensive cleaning of the primary system — the first of its kind at the plant — which reduced radiation exposure levels in key work areas
- More than 300 inspections of piping and welds
- Reinstallation of the main turbine generator
With this phase now complete, the system will be cooled again as crews move into the next round of testing and final preparations.
That includes additional equipment upgrades, continued inspections, and eventual preparations for loading nuclear fuel — one of the final steps before restart.
Targeting a historic restart
Holtec is working toward restarting Palisades in 2026. If successful, it would mark the first time in U.S. history that a nuclear power plant has been brought back into operation after being shut down for decommissioning.
Originally opened in 1971, Palisades operated for more than 50 years before its closure under previous owner Entergy.
Today, the plant is expected to produce more than 800 megawatts of carbon-free electricity once it returns to service — enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes while supporting grid reliability across Michigan.
Looking ahead: small modular reactors
At the same time, Holtec is continuing to push forward with plans to expand the site beyond the existing reactor.
The company is pursuing construction of two small modular reactors, or SMRs, at Palisades — a newer generation of nuclear technology designed to be smaller, more flexible, and faster to build.
Holtec says the two planned units — known as Pioneer 1 and Pioneer 2 — would generate a combined 680 megawatts of electricity, complementing the output of the existing plant.
The project received a major boost in late 2025, when it was selected for a $400 million matching grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The company is also moving through the federal permitting process with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has already accepted the first portion of its construction application for review.
If approved, the new reactors could come online in the early 2030s.
A long road, but steady progress
While several regulatory and technical steps remain, the latest milestone shows continued forward momentum at a site that not long ago appeared headed for permanent shutdown.
For Southwest Michigan, the restart of Palisades — and the potential addition of next-generation reactors — would solidify the lakeshore as a key player in the future of nuclear energy and long-term power generation in the Midwest.
Palisades Photo: Steam rises from the Palisades plant during scheduled system heat-up and testing trials, marking a key milestone in the restart program
