Palisades power plant will restart. Here’s where on the Great Lakes nuclear plants operate

• Holtec International plans to restart the Palisades nuclear plant and add two smaller reactors by 2030.
• The Palisades plant, located on Lake Michigan, was shut down in 2022 and sold to Holtec.
• Several other nuclear power plants operate around the Great Lakes region, including in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, and Ontario.

Owners of Michigan’s Palisades nuclear energy plant this week announced a new five-year program aimed at restarting the power station while adding two smaller, modular reactors to the existing facility.

“Holtec has launched “Mission 2030,” a program to build America’s first small modular reactors — Holtec’s SMR-300 — at the Palisades site in Covert Township, Michigan, with a target of 2030 for first commercial operation.” Holtec International said in a release. “The new SMR-300s will be co-located with the existing 800-megawatt Palisades plant, which is on track to restart after an extended outage following shutdown in 2022.”

The program was discussed at a ceremony Feb. 25, at which Holtec said it has joined forces with Hyundai Engineering & Construction to build a 10-gigawatt fleet of SMR-300s in North America, the release said.

Nuclear energy production is seeing growing interest for power generation because it requires no fossil fuels and can help reduce greenhouse gases. The systems, however, generate tons of highly radioactive waste that has to be stored. In Michigan, waste is stored within a short distance of the Great Lakes in some locations.

Michigan, though, isn’t the only state bordering the Great Lakes to host nuclear generating facilities or waste storage sites. Here’s a look at where else nuclear power is side-by-side with the lakes.

What is the Palisades nuclear plant?

The plant is located on Lake Michigan’s shore in Covert.

The plant was in operation from 1971 until its shutdown in 2022. Previous reporting said the shutdown would result in the decommissioning and dismantling of the plant’s reactors.

After the shutdown, Entergy Corp. sold the plant to Holtec International — along with the Big Rock Point Power Plant near Charlevoix — and the company established the Palisades restart project.

Holtec International, a energy technology company headquartered in Jupiter, Florida, has owned the Palisades, and Big Rock Point plants since 2022.

The Palisades plant is up for a license renewal in 2031, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. It runs one large pressurized water reactor that uses steam to generate 800 megawatts of power.

Once Mission 2030 is completed, the two additional small reactors would generate 600 megawatts of power combined.

According to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and Nuclear power facilities in the Great Lakes basin, here are nuclear plants scattered around the Great Lakes:

Donald C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant

The Donald C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant is located along Lake Michigan’s eastern shore in Bridgman. It’s owned by American Electric Power and operated by Indiana Michigan Power.

The plant is currently operating two pressurized water reactors, generating a combined 2,360 megawatts of power.

It received its operating license in 1974, the license for one reactor is up for renewal in 2034 and the other in 2037.

Big Rock Point Power Plant

Big Rock Point Power Plant on Lake Michigan in Charlevoix shut down in 1997. The site is owned by Holtec International.

Big Rock Point opened in 1962 was decommissioned in the early 2000s. Only used fuel remains at the Big Rock Point site. 

Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant

Point Beach Nuclear Plant, on Lake Michigan’s shore near Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

The plant is currently operating two reactors, generating 1,200 megawatts of power, one-sixth of the Wisconsin’s energy, Nextera Energy said.

It received its operating license in 1970, and is due for a renewal in 2030.

Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant

Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant is located on Lake Erie’s shore in Newport, Michigan, about 25 miles north of Toledo, Ohio.

The plant has one reactor, generating 1,100 megawatts of power. It was licensed in 1985 and began commercial operation in 1988. It’s due for a license renewal in 2045.

Fermi 1 was a fast breeder reactor cooled by sodium. The reactor plant was designed for a maximum capacity of 430 Megawatts. The primary system was filled with sodium in December of 1960 and criticality was achieved in August 1963.

In November 1972, the Power Reactor Development Company made the decision to decommission Fermi 1. The fuel and equipment were shipped offsite in 1973. The radioactive primary sodium was stored in storage tanks and in 55-gallon drums until the sodium was shipped offsite in 1984.

Perry Nuclear Power Plant

Perry Nuclear Power Plant is located on Lake Erie in Perry, Ohio. Construction began in 1974. It is operated by Vistra Operations Company.

This plant is operating one boiling water reactor producing 1,268 megawatts. It received its license in 1986 and will be up for renewal in 2026.

Davis-besse Nuclear Power Station

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station is located on Lake Erie in Oak Harbor, Ohio. It is operated by Vistra Operations Company.

The plant operates one reactor that generates 894 megawatts. It received its operating license in 1977 and is due for a renewal in 2037.

James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant

James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant is located in Scriba, New York. It’s operated by Constellation Energy Generation.

The plant operates one boiling water reactor that produces 842 megawatts. It received its license in 1974 and will be up for renewal in 2034.

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station is located in in Scriba, New York. It’s operated by Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station.

The plant operates two boiling water reactors generating 1,907 megawatts. It received its licenses in 1974 and 1987. The reactors are up for renewal in 2029 and 2046.

R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

R. E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant is located in in Ontario, New York. It is operated by R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant.

The plant operates one reactor that produces 576 megawatts. It received its license in 1969 and is due for renewal in 2029.

Darlington Nuclear Generating Station

Darlington Nuclear Generating Station is located in Bowmanville, Ontario. It is operated by Ontario Power Generation.

The plant operates four reactors generating 3,500 megawatts — enough to power 2 millions homes. It received its operating license in 1990. The plant is in the process of renewing its operating license.

Pickering Nuclear Generating Station

Pickering Nuclear Generating Station is located in Pickering, Ontario. It is operated by Ontario Power Generation.

The plant operates four reactors generating 2,100 megawatts of power. It received its license in 1982 and will be up for renewal in 2026.

Bruce A and B Nuclear Generating Station

Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, operated by Bruce Power, is located in Tiverton, Ontario.

The plant operates eight reactors generating 6,232 megawatts combined. The plant’s eight reactors came online in stages. Reactors 1 and 2 started in 1977, No. 3 started in 1978 and No. 4 came online in 1979.

Additional reactors came online in the 1980s — No. 5 — 1985, No. 6 — 1984, No. 7 — 1986 and No. 8 — 1987. Reactors 1, 3 and 4 shutdown in the late 1990s and eventually were restated in the 2000s.

Kewaunee Power Station

The Kewaunee Power Station in Carlton, Wisconsin, was a two-loop pressurized-water reactor designed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and licensed by the NRC to generate an approximate maximum power output of 1772 megawatts.

The operating license for KPS was issued in 1973. KPS ceased power operations on May 7, 2013. Dominion Energy Kewaunee placed spent fuel in a storage pool at the site.

Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com