Inspection of Palisades Containment Building dome and structural tendon system
The Holtec Palisades team continues to build upon the momentum of recent progress at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert Township, Michigan. As reported in the August 29 issue of this bulletin, these advancements have included initial accreditation for our Operations and Maintenance & Technical training programs, requalification of 26 former Palisades licensed operators, significant workforce growth, completion of chemical cleaning of the primary coolant system as well as comprehensive reactor vessel internal inspections. Chemical cleaning, as expected, has had a dramatic effect on further improving the plant’s occupational radiation safety metrics.
Our focus has now shifted to detailed inspections and maintenance of major systems, including the main turbine, containment building structure, high-voltage towers, and transformers. In parallel, preparations are nearly complete for the site’s upcoming dry fuel storage campaign, scheduled to begin next month. This campaign, which will run for approximately five months, involves transferring spent fuel assemblies currently stored in the plant’s fuel pool to Holtec’s HI-STORM FW dry fuel storage systems at a unified on-site storage facility designed and built by Holtec’s Nuclear Power Division, which provides fuel storage and transport systems to 142 nuclear units around the world. By unifying the plant’s two separate on-site storage facilities into one, Holtec Palisades seeks to further improve the safety and security profile of the site.
Most recently, we have completed detailed inspections of the plant’s steam generators. During these inspections, the need for additional maintenance activities was identified. Thorough and early inspections have allowed us to proactively identify and implement the needed refurbishments before Palisades returns to service. Palisades’s owner’s engineer, Nuclear Consultants International (NCI, an autonomous Holtec affiliate), is working with experienced on-site and external experts to devise and implement industry-proven solutions.
“As nuclear professionals, restoring the plant to its highest level of safety is our utmost priority. Our primary focus remains ensuring that Palisades returns to service safely and reliably, with all necessary repairs and maintenance completed to the highest standards,” said Holtec Chief Nuclear Officer Rich Burroni.
Palisades has a storied history of safe and reliable performance, ranking in the NRC’s highest safety category and completing back-to-back record-breaking production runs prior to its scheduled shutdown in May 2022. Our ongoing restart efforts reflect our commitment to continuing Palisades’s legacy of superb performance. As part of our commitment to public engagement and transparency, we will continue to provide updates as we steadily move forward to return more than 800 megawatts of safe, clean, and reliable power generation back to Southwest Michigan.
Source: Holtec
