Pioneer Units 1 and 2 (SMR-300) phased construction permit application Part 1 - limited work authorization: NRC limited work authorization review for SMR, LLC (a Holtec International company), on behalf of Palisades SMR, LLC — under review. Sourced dates and schedule.
Background: NRC reactor licensing process, explained · The ADVANCE Act, explained: what changed and where the NRC stands
Current state
| Type | Limited work authorization |
| Outcome | Under review |
| Applicant | SMR, LLC (a Holtec International company), on behalf of Palisades SMR, LLC |
| Facility | Pioneer Units 1 and 2, Palisades Energy Center (Covert, Michigan) |
| Docket | 50-616, 50-617 |
| Submitted | 2025-12-31 |
| Docketed (accepted for review) | 2026-02-13 |
| NRC planned schedule | — |
| NRC target date | — |
| Final safety evaluation | — |
| Decision | — |
| Review time (docketed → decision) | — |
| Submitted → decision | — |
| NRC-reported review duration | — |
| NRC-reported resources vs estimate | — |
Review time is measured in average months from the date the NRC docketed the application to the decision. The NRC's own reported durations may measure to the final safety evaluation instead.
Notes
NRC target for the final safety evaluation: 2027-03-31. Phased CP application: Part 1 = LWA request + 3 exemption requests + environmental report; FR says SMR 'plans to submit Part 2 the phased CP application no later than 18 months after this Part 1 submittal'. EIS being prepared (FEIS target March 31, 2027). Exemption 1 (support-of-excavation walls) issued separately (FR 2026-17626, 2026-08-28). Docketed: NRC project page lists the acceptance letter (ML26041A223) as 'February 13, 2025 - A' - a typo; FR and ML number indicate 2026. Final safety evaluation: Target March 31, 2027 (NRC page). Draft SER (with information gaps) completed August 31, 2026 – A. Decision: Under review.
Timeline
- 2025-12-31 — Application received: “On December 31, 2025, SMR, on behalf of Palisades SMR, LLC, filed with the NRC the first part (Part 1) of a phased CP application” (source)
- 2026-02-13 — Accepted for review (docketed): “The NRC staff provided SMR notice of the staff's determination that Part 1 of the phased CP application was acceptable for docketing by letter dated February 13, 2026” (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. See the NNN Data License Terms for reuse of the event history.
Also tracked
- palisades-pioneer-1 in the Reactor Project Tracker
- palisades-pioneer-2 in the Reactor Project Tracker
NNN coverage
About Holtec International
- Holtec files Palisades SMR safety report with NRC 2026-10-03
- Analysts size Africa's SMR market at $105B, 15 GW by 2035 2026-09-07
- Palisades fuel loading: Holtec restart timeline and what comes next 2026-09-01
- The nuclear decommissioning market in 2026: size, players, pipeline 2026-07-14
- NRC opens environmental review of Holtec's Palisades new-build 2026-06-17
- The 7 nuclear stories that mattered this week 2026-10-03
Related reviews
- Blue Energy Center - Port of Victoria Nuclear Unit 1 (BWRX-300) phased CP application Part 1 - LWA Under review · —
- Carbon Free Power Project limited work authorization Withdrawn · 2.3 mo
See all 75 reviews in the NRC Licensing Review Tracker →
Sources
- https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/new-reactors/advanced-reactors/who-were-working-with/advanced-reactor-application-projects/pioneer-units-1-and-2-limited-work-authorization-application
- https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-01143
- https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-03943
- https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-17626