U.S. Government Is Taking Historic Steps To Restart Nuclear Plants

Cooling towers of Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 Nuclear Power Plant pour in Middletown, Pa.

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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering allowing a Michigan nuclear plant to restart after approving in July its first such plant resumption with Palisades Nuclear Plant to increase U.S. energy output for data centers.

The NRC held a series of public meetings from July 31 through August 6 to gather feedback about enabling a restart of a former Three Mile Island Unit 2 that permanently stopped operating after 40 years in September 2019.

Crane Clean Energy Center

This reactor is now called the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center and is licensed by Constellation Energy Generation, a unit of Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Corp.

Last year, Constellation Energy Generation expressed an interest to bring back the nuclear power plant to operational status.

“This is only the second time a permanently closed U.S. nuclear power plant has attempted to return to operation. These restart efforts, if they meet NRC requirements, could significantly contribute to the country’s energy needs in the years ahead,” the NRC said in a July 21 notice.

In September 2024, Constellation announced it signed a 20-year agreement with Microsoft to purchase carbon-free energy from the plant for its data centers.

At that time, Constellation noted in a press statement that a restart would require the NRC approval, new permits from state and local agencies, and a comprehensive safety and environment review.

“To prepare for the restart, significant investments will be made to restore the plant, including the turbine, generator, main power transformer and cooling and control systems,” Constellation stated then. “Additionally, through a separate request, Constellation will pursue license renewal that will extend plant operations to at least 2054.”

Constellation bought the reactor in 1999 before “it was retired prematurely for economic reasons in 2019,” the company noted. The nuclear power plant was able to generate up to 837 megawatts—equal to provide sufficient electricity to power 800,000 homes.

“For the Crane Clean Energy Center, Constellation has suggested a timeline for the NRC to complete its reviews by the end of 2027. The agency will determine our review schedule once Constellation has submitted all of its relevant licensing requests, but at this point the agency believes the end of 2027 is reasonable for finishing our work,” said Scott Burnell, NRC spokesperson.

Palisades Nuclear Plant

On July 24, the NRC approved licensing and regulatory actions to greenlight restarting the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert, Mich, which stopped producing electricity in 2022.

“Following technical reviews that were completed on schedule, the NRC has approved the transfer of operating authority for the plant and its independent spent fuel storage facility from Holtec Decommissioning International LLC to Palisades Energy LLC,” the NRC noted in a public announcement.

These actions enable Holtec to load fuel, but the NRC has additional requirements before the plant can resume operations under its original operating license that expires in 2031.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently released its fifth distribution ($83.2 million) of a maximum $1.52 billion loan guarantee to Holtec for the Palisades Nuclear Plant to be the first restarted commercial reactor in the U.S.

DOE stated that the federal dollars support President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14302: “Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base” by restarting nuclear plants.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated in an Aug. 7 media release that DOE is “working in tandem with our regulatory partners to accelerate the reopening of the Palisades Nuclear Plant and unleash a true American nuclear renaissance. These efforts will help reinvigorate our nuclear industrial base, deliver lower energy costs for millions of Americans and strengthen our nation’s energy security.”

The first plant to attempt to return to operations was Palisades in Michigan, the agency approved relevant licensing actions last month:

Three years ago, Florida-based Holtec International acquired the Palisades Power Plant and the Big Rock Point site from Entergy Corp. Palisades ceased operating in May 2022 after providing electricity for over 50 years in southwest Michigan. Also located in the state, Big Rock Point in Charlevoix shutdown in 1997 and was decommissioned a few years later.

Holtec International is a technology company specializes in the nuclear energy, especially fuel storage and transportation as well as plant decommissioning.