Palisades Nuclear Plant return to power operations (licensing basis restoration)

Palisades Nuclear Plant return to power operations (licensing basis restoration): NRC restart review for Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC / Holtec Palisades, LLC; operating authority transferred to Palisades Energy, LLC — issued, 13.2 months from docketing to decision. Sourced dates and schedule.

Background: NRC reactor licensing process, explained · The ADVANCE Act, explained: what changed and where the NRC stands

Current state

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

First-of-a-kind restart from decommissioning. NRC met its revised July 31, 2025 target (decided 2025-07-24). Follow-on LARs (leak-before-break 08/26/2025, steam generator sleeving 10/30/2025, NFPA 805 11/20/2025, relief requests) are excluded from the bundle. Efficiency page: 'Approved a series of licensing and regulatory actions that will pave the way for the restart of the Palisades Nuclear Plant – a first of its kind action'. Submitted: date = last part of the initial restart bundle; first part (50.82 exemption) submitted 2023-09-28. Holtec's 'Regulatory Path to Reauthorize Power Operations' letter was dated 02/01/2023 (not an application). Docketed: date = acceptance of the last part; first acceptance 2023-11-03. Part 50 docket already existed (no new docketing). Final safety evaluation: Separate safety evaluations accompany each licensing action (issued 2025-07-24); no single FSER. Decision: NRC press release No. 25-046 dated July 24, 2025. NRC page lists 'Final Documentation' 07/24/2025 for the exemption, OL/TS LAR, admin TS LAR, E-plan, QA plan and MSLB LAR (license transfer order 07/16/2025). Power operations licensing basis became effective on August 25, 2025 when Palisades Energy rescinded its 50.82(a)(1) certifications.

Timeline

• 2024-05-24 — Application received: “By letters dated September 28, 2023, December 6, 2023, December 14, 2023, February 9, 2024, May 1, 2024, and May 24, 2024, Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (the licensee), submitted an exemption, a license transfer request, and four license amendment requests (LARs) to support resumption of power operations” (source)
• 2024-06-18 — Accepted for review (docketed): “By letters dated November 3, 2023, January 16, 2024, January 23, 2024, March 18, 2024, May 23, 2024, and June 18, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff notified you that your requests had been accepted for review” (source)
• 2025-07-24 — Issued: “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a series of licensing and regulatory actions that will pave the way for restart of the Palisades Nuclear Plant.” (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 Nuclear Plant in the Nuclear Plant Restarts Tracker Fuel load
• Palisades Nuclear Plant in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker Restart planned

NNN coverage

Related reviews

• Duane Arnold Energy Center return to power operations Under review · —
• Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center (formerly TMI-1) return to power operations Under review · —

See all 75 reviews in the NRC Licensing Review Tracker →

Sources

1. https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/facility-finder/reactors/pali
2. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2421/ML24219A420.pdf
3. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2329/ML23291A440.pdf
4. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2402/ML24022A117.pdf
5. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2521/ML25213A079.pdf
6. https://www.nrc.gov/regulations-legislation/effectiveness-efficiency-and-timeliness-initiatives-that-support-unleashing-american-energy/licensing-efficiencies