Trackers · Restarts
Nuclear plant restarts tracker
Which shut-down nuclear plants are coming back, and when? This tracker follows reactor restarts unit by unit, from Palisades and Three Mile Island to Japan's idled fleet and Taiwan's Maanshan, with regulator status, target dates and sourced milestones.
Background: Palisades fuel loading: Holtec restart timeline and what comes next · NRC reactor licensing process, explained
45 units · updated · last full review
Key numbers
- Tracked units
- 4519 restarted · 11 proposed · 7 under review · 3 approved · 2 cancelled · 1 refurbishment · 1 fuel load · 1 rejected
- Japanese reactors restarted since Fukushima
- 15 of 33Operable units back in commercial operation under post-Fukushima rules; Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 6 became the 15th on 16 April 2026. Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, 2026-08-07
- Japan restart pipeline
- 3 approved, 6 in reviewUnits with NRA approval awaiting restart and units under review; 8 more had not applied. US Energy Information Administration, 2026-03-02
- DOE loans for US reactor restarts
- $4.42bnPalisades ($1.52bn, 2024), Crane ($1.0bn, Nov 2025) and Duane Arnold (up to $1.9bn, Sept 2026). Canary Media, 2026-09
- Palisades restart status
- Fuel load pausedFuel loading began 30 August 2026 but paused after an assembly tilted; the NRC is reviewing Holtec's request to retrieve it. US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2026-10-06
- Taiwan Maanshan referendum
- 74% yes, invalidThe 23 August 2025 vote on restarting Maanshan won a majority but missed the 25%-of-electorate turnout threshold. World Nuclear News, 2025-08-26
Every unit
One record per unit. Each row links to a page with its current state, a dated milestone log and the sources behind every figure.
1–10 of 45 units
| Name | Country | Status | Restart type | Operator | Net capacity (MWe) | Shut down | Restarted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenian NPP Unit 2 (Metsamor 2) | AM | Restarted | Policy reversal | Armenian Nuclear Power Plant CJSC | 416 | 1989-03-18 | 1995-10-26 |
| Bataan Nuclear Power Plant | Philippines | Proposed | Never-operated revival | National Power Corporation (Napocor), Philippine government | 621 | 1986 | — |
| Browns Ferry Unit 1 | United States | Restarted | Retired-plant restart | Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) | — | 1985 | 2007-05-21 |
| Bruce A Unit 1 | Canada | Restarted | Retired-plant restart | Bruce Power | — | 1997 | 2012-09-19 |
| Bruce A Unit 2 | Canada | Restarted | Retired-plant restart | Bruce Power | — | 1995 | 2012-10-16 |
| Crane Clean Energy Center (Three Mile Island Unit 1) | United States | Refurbishment | Retired-plant restart | Constellation Energy | 835 | 2019-09 | — |
| Duane Arnold Energy Center | United States | Under review | Retired-plant restart | NextEra Energy | 615 | 2020-08-10 | — |
| Genkai Unit 3 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kyushu Electric Power | 1,127 | 2010-12-11 | 2018-03-23 |
| Genkai Unit 4 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kyushu Electric Power | 1,127 | 2011-12-25 | 2018-06-16 |
| Hamaoka Unit 3 | Japan | Cancelled | Post-Fukushima restart | Chubu Electric Power | 1,056 | 2010-11-29 | — |
| Hamaoka Unit 4 | Japan | Cancelled | Post-Fukushima restart | Chubu Electric Power | 1,092 | 2011-05-13 | — |
| Higashidori Unit 1 (Tohoku Electric) | Japan | Under review | Post-Fukushima restart | Tohoku Electric Power | 1,067 | 2011-02-06 | — |
| Ikata Unit 3 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Shikoku Electric Power | 846 | 2011-04 | 2016-08-12 |
| Indian Point Unit 2low confidence | United States | Proposed | Retired-plant restart | Holtec International (decommissioning owner) | — | 2020-04 | — |
| Indian Point Unit 3low confidence | United States | Proposed | Retired-plant restart | Holtec International (decommissioning owner) | — | 2021-04-30 | — |
| Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 6 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) | 1,315 | 2012-03-26 | 2026-02-09 |
| Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 7 | Japan | Approved | Post-Fukushima restart | Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) | 1,315 | 2011-08-23 | — |
| Kuosheng Unit 1 (Second Nuclear Power Plant)low confidence | Taiwan | Proposed | Policy reversal | Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) | 985 | 2021-07 | — |
| Kuosheng Unit 2 (Second Nuclear Power Plant)low confidence | Taiwan | Proposed | Policy reversal | Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) | 985 | 2023-03-15 | — |
| Maanshan Unit 1 (Third Nuclear Power Plant) | Taiwan | Under review | Policy reversal | Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) | 936 | 2024-07-28 | — |
| Maanshan Unit 2 (Third Nuclear Power Plant) | Taiwan | Under review | Policy reversal | Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) | 938 | 2025-05-17 | — |
| Mihama Unit 3 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kansai Electric Power | 780 | 2011-05-14 | 2021-06-23 |
| Ohi Unit 3 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kansai Electric Power | 1,127 | 2013-09 | 2018-03-14 |
| Ohi Unit 4 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kansai Electric Power | 1,127 | 2013-09-15 | 2018-05-09 |
| Onagawa Unit 2 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Tohoku Electric Power | 796 | 2010-11-06 | 2024-10-29 |
| Palisades Nuclear Plant | United States | Fuel load | Retired-plant restart | Holtec International (Palisades Energy LLC) | 805 | 2022-05-20 | — |
| Sendai Unit 1 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kyushu Electric Power | 846 | 2011-05 | 2015-08-11 |
| Sendai Unit 2 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kyushu Electric Power | 846 | 2011-09 | 2015-10-15 |
| Shika Unit 2 | Japan | Under review | Post-Fukushima restart | Hokuriku Electric Power | 1,108 | 2011-03-11 | — |
| Shimane Unit 2 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Chugoku Electric Power | 789 | 2012-01-27 | 2024-12-07 |
| Takahama Unit 1 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kansai Electric Power | 780 | 2011-01-10 | 2023-07-28 |
| Takahama Unit 2 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kansai Electric Power | 780 | 2011-11-25 | 2023-09-15 |
| Takahama Unit 3 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kansai Electric Power | 830 | 2012-02-20 | 2016-01-29 |
| Takahama Unit 4 | Japan | Restarted | Post-Fukushima restart | Kansai Electric Power | 830 | 2011-07-21 | 2016-02-26 |
| Tokai Daini (Tokai Unit 2) | Japan | Approved | Post-Fukushima restart | Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) | 1,060 | 2011-03-11 | — |
| Tomari Unit 1 | Japan | Under review | Post-Fukushima restart | Hokkaido Electric Power | 550 | 2011-04-22 | — |
| Tomari Unit 2 | Japan | Under review | Post-Fukushima restart | Hokkaido Electric Power | 550 | 2011-08-26 | — |
| Tomari Unit 3 | Japan | Approved | Post-Fukushima restart | Hokkaido Electric Power | 866 | 2012-05-05 | — |
| Tsuruga Unit 2 | Japan | Rejected | Post-Fukushima restart | Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) | 1,108 | 2011-05-07 | — |
| Zaporizhzhia Unit 1low confidence | Ukraine | Proposed | Conflict shutdown | Contested: Energoatom (Ukrainian licensee) / Rosatom-installed management | — | 2022 | — |
| Zaporizhzhia Unit 2low confidence | Ukraine | Proposed | Conflict shutdown | Contested: Energoatom (Ukrainian licensee) / Rosatom-installed management | — | 2022 | — |
| Zaporizhzhia Unit 3low confidence | Ukraine | Proposed | Conflict shutdown | Contested: Energoatom (Ukrainian licensee) / Rosatom-installed management | — | 2022 | — |
| Zaporizhzhia Unit 4low confidence | Ukraine | Proposed | Conflict shutdown | Contested: Energoatom (Ukrainian licensee) / Rosatom-installed management | — | 2022 | — |
| Zaporizhzhia Unit 5low confidence | Ukraine | Proposed | Conflict shutdown | Contested: Energoatom (Ukrainian licensee) / Rosatom-installed management | — | 2022 | — |
| Zaporizhzhia Unit 6low confidence | Ukraine | Proposed | Conflict shutdown | Contested: Energoatom (Ukrainian licensee) / Rosatom-installed management | — | 2022 | — |
Breakdown
By status
Restarted (19) · Proposed (11) · Under review (7) · Approved (3) · Cancelled (2) · Refurbishment (1) · Fuel load (1) · Rejected (1)
By country
Japan (25) · Ukraine (6) · United States (6) · Taiwan (4) · Canada (2) · AM (1) · Philippines (1)
Retired US plants with no restart plan
People often search for restarts of these closed plants. None has a restart effort: each is being dismantled or has already been released, and each links to its decommissioning record.
- San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (Units 1-3) Active dismantling · United States — Southern California Edison is dismantling San Onofre Units 2 and 3 (and finishing Unit 1) under the DECON method, with all spent fuel already in on-site dry storage since 2020.
- Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Active dismantling · United States — Holtec is dismantling the single-unit Pilgrim BWR on Cape Cod Bay, which shut down in May 2019 and was bought by Holtec that August.
- Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Active dismantling · United States — Oyster Creek, the oldest US BWR when it closed in September 2018, is being dismantled by Holtec, which took ownership in July 2019.
- Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station Site restoration · United States — NorthStar Group Services says physical demolition of the Vermont Yankee BWR is about 99% complete, years ahead of its 2030 commitment, after buying the plant from Entergy in 2019.
- Kewaunee Power Station Active dismantling · United States — Kewaunee, a single-unit Westinghouse PWR on Lake Michigan, closed in May 2013 and sat in SAFSTOR until EnergySolutions bought it from Dominion in 2022 to dismantle it.
- Fort Calhoun Station Site restoration · United States — Omaha Public Power District closed the single-unit Fort Calhoun PWR in October 2016 for economic reasons and switched from SAFSTOR to prompt DECON in 2019.
- Crystal River Unit 3 Site restoration · United States — Crystal River 3, retired after its containment cracked during a 2009 steam generator replacement, is being decommissioned by ADP (NorthStar/Orano JV) under a fixed-price deal while Duke Energy keeps ownership and the trust fund.
- Zion Nuclear Power Station (Units 1-2) License terminated · United States — Zion's two Westinghouse PWRs on Lake Michigan were dismantled by EnergySolutions under a first-of-its-kind 2010 license-stewardship deal, and in November 2023 the NRC released most of the site for unrestricted use.
Questions
Questions
- How many nuclear plants have been restarted?
- In Japan, 15 of 33 operable reactors had resumed commercial operation under post-Fukushima safety rules by August 2026. In the US, no reactor retired after entering decommissioning had returned to service as of 11 October 2026; Palisades, Crane (Three Mile Island Unit 1) and Duane Arnold are in progress. The table counts every tracked unit by status.
- Can a closed nuclear power plant be restarted?
- Sometimes. A restart is feasible when the reactor has not been dismantled, the operator can restore its operating license and the economics work, usually with a long-term power purchase agreement. Palisades in Michigan is the first US attempt to return a plant from decommissioning. Most retired US plants, such as San Onofre and Pilgrim, are being dismantled and have no restart plan; they are tracked in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker.
- How long does it take to restart a nuclear power plant?
- The US projects have taken years: Palisades closed in May 2022 and began loading fuel in August 2026, while Constellation targets 2027 for Crane, retired in 2019, and NextEra early 2029 for Duane Arnold, retired in 2020. Japan's post-Fukushima restarts often took a decade or more because of safety upgrades, regulator review and local consent.
- When will Three Mile Island (Crane Clean Energy Center) restart?
- Constellation targets a 2027 restart for the former Three Mile Island Unit 1, renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, under a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft. The NRC issued its final environmental assessment in September 2026. Unit 2, damaged in the 1979 accident, is being decommissioned and will not restart.
- Has the Palisades nuclear plant restarted?
- Not yet. Holtec began loading fuel at Palisades on 30 August 2026, but loading paused after a fuel assembly tilted, and the NRC is reviewing Holtec's request to retrieve it. The Palisades record is updated as the restart proceeds.
- How many of Japan's reactors are back online since Fukushima?
- Fifteen of Japan's 33 operable reactors had resumed commercial operation by August 2026, according to the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 6, TEPCO's first reactor back since the 2011 accident, returned to commercial operation in April 2026.
- Will Germany restart its nuclear power plants?
- There is no official restart effort. Germany closed its last three reactors in April 2023 and they are being dismantled; despite political calls in 2025 and 2026 to reconsider, no government program or operator application exists, so no German units are tracked here.
Method & scope
One record per power-reactor unit that was retired or idled long-term and has restarted, is restarting, or has a live official restart effort: Japan's post-Fukushima restarts and regulator reviews, US retired-plant restarts, policy reversals, a never-operated plant revival, conflict-idled units, and four historical precedents. Routine outages, life extensions of operating units and unfinished new builds such as V.C. Summer 2 and 3 are out of scope.
Records were compiled from regulator decisions and dockets (US NRC, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority, Taiwan's Nuclear Safety Commission), Japan Atomic Industrial Forum status reports, operator announcements, DOE loan announcements and trade press. Years offline run from final shutdown to restart, or to the review date for units still offline. Restart targets are the operator's stated dates. Zaporizhzhia records reflect licensing moves Ukraine contests and are marked low confidence.
Milestone logs are append-only: corrections are added as new entries, never rewrites. Records marked low confidence rest on thin or conflicting sources. Targets (first plasma, restart, completion) are the developer's or regulator's stated dates, not NNN forecasts.
License & data
Download the current-state CSV (CC BY 4.0, attribution required) or the full JSON snapshot with milestone history under the NNN Data License Terms. Underlying facts are facts; the grant covers NNN's compilation.
Cite this dataset as
Nuclear News Network, "Nuclear Plant Restarts Tracker", https://www.nuclearnewsnetwork.com/industry-trackers/nuclear-plant-restarts.