Successful Removal of Toppled Fuel Assembly at Palisades Nuclear Reactor in the United States

Holtec International, the owner of the Palisades nuclear reactor located in Covert, Michigan, announced on Wednesday that it had successfully removed the nuclear fuel assembly that had previously toppled during refueling through "technological innovation," and stated that it would continue to advance the restart of the nuclear unit.

Fadi Diya, Chief Nuclear Safety Officer of Holtec International, said the team consistently upheld safety standards and technical rigor in addressing this challenge. The Palisades nuclear reactor was originally commissioned in 1971, was acquired by Holtec International after its retirement in 2022, and has now become a representative project of the U.S. nuclear renaissance driven by the enormous energy demands of artificial intelligence data centers. However, the reactor's restart process was hindered in August this year when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) confirmed that a nuclear fuel assembly toppling incident occurred on site during refueling operations. Although no radiation leak was caused, it once again raised public concerns about the safety conditions of this aging facility.

Prior to this incident, the safety record of the Palisades nuclear reactor had already drawn regulatory attention multiple times. In a 2012 report, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission noted a phenomenon of indifference to safety hazards in the plant's work culture; in 2016, the facility, during its operation under former owner Entergy, had security personnel suspended for failing to strictly follow fire protection regulations; in October 2025, a worker slipped and fell into the pool from the fuel loading bridge. After a recently completed on-site inspection, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission warned in a letter to Holtec International that although the nuclear plant had generally maintained safety awareness, a "chilled work environment" existed in the supply chain and quality assurance departments, where employees in relevant positions were hesitant to raise safety concerns due to fear of retaliation.

Arnie Gundersen, a nuclear engineer and expert consultant for the environmental advocacy group "Don't Waste Michigan," sharply criticized the approach to advancing the restart project. He pointed out that in the past month, not only did the plant experience an uncontrolled fuel assembly toppling incident, but 9 of 15 licensed reactor operators failed their examinations, and more than half of the employees in the quality assurance and procurement departments feared that raising concerns would lead to dismissal. Gundersen stated that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had repeatedly ignored his safety warnings over the years, and that he had formally written to U.S. Democratic Senator Edward Markey, who has long focused on nuclear safety issues, directly stating that restarting this 55-year-old reactor is unsafe and that Holtec International, lacking practical nuclear power operating experience, is ill-equipped to undertake this unprecedented and complex task.

Although Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer had previously publicly supported the restart of the Palisades nuclear reactor, and Holtec International insists that it will only connect to the grid after complying with all federal regulations and industry standards, the company is now facing further judicial challenges. On Wednesday, a jury in New Jersey ruled that Holtec International violated whistleblower protection laws, finding that its previous dismissal of a former Chief Financial Officer who refused to make misleading statements was unlawful. In response, Holtec International stated that it disagrees with the jury's verdict and plans to appeal.