COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. — In May of 2022, Palisades Nuclear Power Plant shut down its reactor. Now Holtec International is in the process of restarting the facility, but neighbors are concerned that the process is being rushed and want to make sure the plant is restarted and operated safely.
Just up the beach from Tom and Jody Flynn’s house is the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant.
“Its been a battle having them as a neighbor,” said Jody Flynn.
The facility was commissioned in 1971 and stopped operating two years ago.
Now, new owner Holtec International is in the process of making Palisades the first nuclear power plant to ever be restarted in the country.
Flynn said, “We're mostly worried because they are about to do something that's never been done before, and they're doing it at hyper speed.”
Holtec disagrees, saying the plant won’t be operational until December of 2025 at the earliest.
Holtec International Senior Manager Government Affairs and Communications Nick Culp said, “We're taking nearly two years to go back through, look at every piece of plant equipment, look at all the systems, do the upgrades and repairs necessary.”
On Sept. 9, residents filed a petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) arguing that Palisades is not meeting the standards for a safe start-up.
Palisades Neighborhood spokesperson Alan Blind said, “We're not sure that anything we say could stop the NRC from approving Palisades. But please, please, please NRC, take the time to do it right.”
Blind adds, since this has never been done before, the NRC needs to have more guidelines in place for the restart to happen safely.
“It's the NRC'S responsibility to decide what the rules are, and they haven't done that yet,” said Blind.
Palisades says they are complying with all NRC regulations and inspections.
“Our greatest priority is safety above everything else. So, before Palisades comes back, we're going to do everything that we have to do to validate that,” said Culp.
Flynn says there is no room for error because this restart will be the blueprint for other restarts around the country.
“If they are going to do this, this one needs to be not good; this one needs to be perfect,” said Flynn.
Now that the residents have filed a petition with the NRC, the next step is for it to be reviewed and, if approved, get a hearing with an administrative law judge.
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