Holtec Proposes Unprecedented Method to Retrieve Tipped Nuclear Fuel at Palisades Reactor Amid Safety Concerns

A controversy is unfolding regarding the retrieval of a tipped fuel assembly at the soon-to-be-restarted Palisades nuclear reactor in Michigan. The facility, which shut down in 2022 and was subsequently acquired by Holtec International, has emerged as a prominent example of the AI and data centre-driven nuclear energy renaissance in the US. Plans to bring the reactor in Covert, Michigan, back online encountered a setback on August 30 when, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a fuel assembly tipped during fuelling, prompting a temporary halt to the restart process. The NRC confirmed that no radiation leaked during the incident.

Nevertheless, the event has amplified existing worries about the complex process of restarting a decommissioned facility, commonly referred to as a "zombie reactor". Based on publicly accessible documents and correspondence shared between Palisades personnel and the NRC, Holtec International has outlined a strategy to retrieve the tilted fuel. In its submissions to the NRC, the company stated that the fuel rods have successfully maintained their integrity as a primary fission product barrier and noted that the assembly rests at a 30-degree angle from the core plate.

Holtec's application details a plan to deploy a specialized recovery tool to lift the tilted assembly alongside a protective canister designed to support and enclose it during the transfer from the reactor vessel to the spent fuel pool. However, a news release issued on Friday by the environmental advocacy group Don't Waste Michigan raised doubts about Holtec's capabilities. The non-profit stated that this procedure has never been attempted before and pointed out that Holtec has never previously operated a nuclear power facility. The NRC has yet to announce a decision regarding Holtec's proposal.

According to allegations from Don't Waste Michigan, the danger lies in the possibility that highly irradiated fuel could be suspended out of water in the plant atmosphere for up to 133 hours, turning the operation into a heavily radioactively contaminated undertaking. Conversely, in a licence amendment request submitted to the NRC on September 30, Holtec maintained that all operations will strictly adhere to regulatory limits, asserting that there is no significant increase in the probability of an accident.

Shortly after acknowledging the tipped fuel assembly incident, Holtec paused fuel loading while addressing the situation, though other restart activities not tied to the fuel-loading process continued. Despite assurances from both the agency and the company that no radiation escaped, critics frequently highlight the troubled history of the Palisades site. Prior to Holtec's acquisition, a 2012 NRC report criticized the work culture at Palisades for frequently dismissing safety concerns. Additionally, in 2016, security staff then owned by Entergy were placed on leave for failing to follow fire-prevention protocols, and a worker fell off a refuelling bridge into a pool of water roughly a year ago without sustaining serious injury.

Arnie Gundersen, a nuclear engineer and expert adviser for Don't Waste Michigan, argued there are numerous grounds for apprehension regarding Holtec's restart initiative. He claimed that the company is pushing for approval to remove the tilted fuel bundle primarily to expedite the refuelling process, noting a lack of root cause analysis to prevent future occurrences or evaluations of potential damage caused by the bundle.

In response, Holtec previously indicated that efforts are underway to identify why the fuel assembly tipped. A statement from the company confirmed that a root cause evaluation has been initiated to determine the origin of the event and promised the implementation of all necessary corrective actions.