Is it possible to restart a nuclear power plant from the 1970s that was closed?

It was in 2022 when the nuclear power plant palisades located in the state of Michigan, United States.

Your infrastructure It was inaugurated in 1971 and used the heat energy from splitting atoms to convert water into steam, which then turned a turbine that produced up to 800 megawatts of electricity.

This figure translates to electricity enough to supply around 800,000 homes from the states of Michigan and Indiana.

However, two years after the plant closed, work is underway to get it back up and running .

Data collected by Wall Street Journal they detail this Federal government and state of Michigan invest nearly $2 billion to restart the reactor.

If its reopening is completed, it will become the world’s first decommissioned nuclear power plant to resume operations .

Other reactors have been temporarily shut down before for repairs or for economic reasons, then they returned to work.

However, the difference here is that no other has started its dismantling process and then been restarted according to the World Nuclear Association a UK based industrial trading group.

The initiative has been taken into account due to the increasing demand for electricity which require areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) server farms.

This in addition to the new investments in green energy which are encouraged by state and federal loans and tax subsidies, according to the aforementioned US media.

It is expected that, By 2030, data centers will represent 8% of electricity demand from the United States.

For reference, in 2022, they corresponded to approximately 3% according to a report by Goldman Sachs presented in April 2024.

Nuclear Energy Supporters They assure that its understanding as green energy can bring multiple benefits .

According to the Journal, regulators have been surveyed over the past year to extend the licenses of some 14 old reactors .

Similarly, it is stated that The vast majority of the 94 reactors operating in the United States have had their licenses extended once, up to age 60, and twice, up to age 80.

Some voices in the sector have said that Reactivating old dismantled plants may be a faster and cheaper way to increase energy capacity.

The North American country’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) specifies that There are 22 nuclear reactors currently being dismantled which could take decades.

In the case of Palisades, Michigan, its owners are confident it will be able operate by at least another 25 years after its possible reopening .

Despite his optimism, There are also critics who have doubts whether it can be operated safely again.

Some of these concerns arise due to its age and the company in question, Holtec International, has only experience in dismantling nuclear reactors.

That’s to say, They do not have the capacity to restart and operate a plant of this type. .

From the Florida-based company are aware of this point .

The company’s senior director of operations, Adam Eastridge, told the Journal that “By being the first to restart a decommissioned nuclear power plant, the whole world is watching us” .

Despite this, he added, “We don’t let that distract us.” .

Holtec assured that if the reopening takes place, They hope to outsource some operations to another company with experience in nuclear energy. while retaining ownership of the factory acquired in 2018.

Currently, efforts are focused on examine the systems and assess whether any damage occurred during the period they were not operational .

The former owner of the factory, Entergy announced in 2016 that the closure plans were due to high economic costs of its operation.

This factor It didn’t just affect Palisades but also to twelve other factories closed between 2012 and 2021.

Compared to other types of power plants, nuclear power plants They require more workers and safety measures, in addition to incurring higher regulatory costs. .

For older ones, find spare parts This was also positioned as a challenge.

Anyway, The scenario has changed in recent years with the support of loans and grants announced to promote green energy.

Although Holtec owns and is decommissioning three other nuclear power plants in New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York, they said that They do not plan to reopen them .

The company also reported that It was Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer who proposed reopening the Palisades. .

When the authority announced the loan, it assured that the renovation of the plant will allow “the elimination of three million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere per year” roughly equivalent to the emissions of 650,000 cars.

For his part, Holtec spokesman Nick Culp said that “there is a common recognition that if we are to take climate change seriously and keep the lights on, Nuclear energy is a vital part of the equation “.

On the security front, NRC spokesman Scott Burnell told the Journal that All licensed nuclear power plants in the United States have been strengthened to cope with different types of adverse situations.

He assured that, in order to function, They “must also demonstrate that they can defend against a broad range of attacks.” physics and cybernetics.

“Palisades met these requirements during its operation and will have to continue to demonstrate its compliance with these standards if it is authorized resume operations,” he added.

Holtec and the NRC They continue to work on licensing issues which will determine its possible opening date and its operating period.

In areas near the nuclear power plant, Local residents have already announced an initiative to ask the regulatory body to develop new standards before granting permission to restart operations.

Industry expert Alan Blind told the aforementioned media outlet that Although he agrees with the promotion of nuclear energy, he is concerned about the return to operation of a plant as old as Palisades. .

Below this line it was indicated skeptical about its ability to adapt to current standards .

“There are so many open questions “There is much uncertainty about how Holtec will demonstrate that it is complying with the regulations. And there is even more uncertainty about what regulations the NRC will use to make that judgment,” he said.

Considering these points, on the part of the company They said they were hiring former Palisades workers and specialists from other nuclear plants. Americans.

Culp stressed that “must comply with all federal regulatory requirements before being put back into service.

“Pending regulatory review and approval to reauthorize energy operations, The fences will be subject to the same surveillance standards “to which all other commercial nuclear power plants in the United States are subject.”

Similarly, NRC President Christopher Hanson testified before a congressional committee in July: They hope to have a decision by May 2025. .

“This is something we have never done before in the United States, and required some creativity on our part and that of Holtec “, he stressed in this regard.