Palisades starts loading fuel, then pauses after an assembly tilts

Series: Part 2 of 2. Previously: NRC clears Palisades to return from decommissioning, a U.S. first, Holtec says (July 2025).

September 2026 — Fuel went back into the Palisades reactor on Aug. 30, 2026, more than four years after the plant shut, and then stopped after one fuel assembly tilted out of position. Here's what happened, what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome as of Oct. 21, 2026 (Holtec)

Outcome: fuel loading began Aug. 30, 2026 and paused while Holtec designed retrieval equipment (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026); it recovered the assembly Oct. 21. (Holtec, Oct. 21, 2026)
Cost: not disclosed by Holtec or the NRC.
Grid link: Palisades reconnected to its 345-kV switchyard on Sept. 11, 2026. (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)
Status: not restarted. Holtec said the remaining steps include completing fuel loading, required testing, inspections and operational readiness activities; it gave no restart date. (Holtec, Oct. 21, 2026)

What happened during fuel load

Palisades entered Mode 6, refuelling, and began loading fuel into the reactor vessel on Aug. 30, 2026, Holtec said. During loading, "one fuel assembly tilted from its upright position after it had been placed, and the fuel-handling machine grapple had been disengaged." (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)

The American Nuclear Society's news service reported that the core holds 204 fuel assemblies, a mix of new fuel and partly used fuel from the plant's last operating cycles, and that the assembly that tilted was a previously used one. (ANS Nuclear Newswire)

Holtec said staff responded "in accordance with established procedures" and notified the NRC. Its evaluation found the event "did not trigger the safety reporting requirements under NRC regulations." (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)

How Holtec planned to fix it

Holtec started a root cause evaluation under its quality assurance program. Its corporate engineering division was developing equipment to retrieve the assembly and return it to the spent fuel pool, and Palisades was preparing a License Amendment Request to the NRC on the retrieval method. (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)

Work that doesn't depend on the fuel issue continues. After fuel loading and reactor vessel reassembly, the plant would move to Mode 5, cold shutdown, with the reactor shut down and the coolant system at low temperature and pressure. (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)

The switchyard

On Sept. 11, 2026, Palisades reconnected to the 345-kV switchyard after restoration work coordinated with ITC, which owns the high-voltage transmission system serving the plant. "The switchyard will ultimately provide the path for electricity generated by Palisades to reach the transmission grid," Holtec said, adding that final commissioning and testing continue. (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)

The company closed its update with a commitment rather than a date: it remains "focused on returning Palisades to safe and reliable operation once all restart work is complete and all applicable federal requirements and industry standards are met." (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)

How we got here

The NRC approved the licensing actions that let Holtec load fuel on July 24, 2025, noting that the plant stopped running in May 2022 and that its original licence would expire March 24, 2031. (NRC release 25-046) Palisades moved back to operations status on Aug. 25, 2025, with steam generator repairs and turbine reassembly then under way, according to Holtec. (Holtec, Aug. 26, 2025)

What went wrong

An assembly tipped during fuel load. Loading paused while Holtec designed retrieval equipment (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026); it recovered the assembly Oct. 21. (Holtec, Oct. 21, 2026)
It needed another NRC filing. The retrieval method required a License Amendment Request. (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)
The cause is unknown. A root cause evaluation had been opened but not finished as of the update. (Holtec, Sept. 21, 2026)
What we don't know yet: why the assembly tilted, what the delay costs, and when the reactor will make power. Holtec gave no date.

Update, Oct. 21, 2026: Holtec said it had recovered the tilted fuel assembly with a purpose-built Fuel Movement Device, after the NRC approved a license amendment request authorizing the recovery method. Holtec said the team continues toward the plant's return to service, 'including the completion of fuel loading, required testing, inspections, and operational readiness activities,' and gave no restart date. (Holtec, Oct. 21, 2026)

Our follow-up question for Holtec

What caused the fuel assembly to tilt, and how much has the pause added to the cost and schedule of the restart?

Sources

Holtec International, “Progress Report on Palisades' March to Startup,” Sept. 21, 2026. holtecinternational.com
American Nuclear Society, Nuclear Newswire, “Incident pauses Palisades fuel loading; plant connected to switchyard,” Sept. 25, 2026. ans.org
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, “NRC Approves Major Licensing Actions Required for Restart of Palisades NPP,” release No. 25-046, July 24, 2025. nrc.gov
Holtec International, “Historic First: Palisades Transitions Back to Operations Status,” Aug. 26, 2025. holtecinternational.com
Holtec International, “Holtec's Engineering and Manufacturing Prowess Delivers Breakthrough Fuel Assembly Recovery at Palisades,” Oct. 21, 2026. holtecinternational.com

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