As of August 25, 2025, the Palisades power plant in Covert Township, Michigan, became the first decommissioned US nuclear plant to officially transition to “operations” status under the oversight of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), according to owner Holtec International. [1] This milestone follows the agency’s July 24 approval of Holtec’s licensing package to reauthorize power operations. [2] The plant is not yet generating electricity as it still requires extensive work, including reassembling the main generator and turbine. When Palisades returns to service, it will be capable of producing over 800 MW of baseload electricity. The plant’s new status follows its receipt of key licensing and regulatory approvals by the NRC in July. With this transition, Palisades is authorized to receive nuclear fuel and restart the plant once allowable conditions are met. Holtec is also planning to build a new small modular reactor (SMR) on the same site by the start of the next decade.

[1] https://holtecinternational.com/2025/08/26/hh-40-18/

[2] https://www.nrc.gov/cdn/doc-collection-news/2025/25-046.pdf