Holtec Submits Second Part of Construction Permit Application for SMRs at Palisades
Holtec has submitted the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its Pioneer 1 and 2 SMR-300 small modular reactors planned for the Palisades site. This submission provides detailed technical and safety information to support Holtec's application to construct the reactors.
The SMR-300 is a pressurized water reactor (PWR) designed to produce approximately 300 MWe or 1,050 MWt for process applications. The Palisades site currently hosts an 805 MWe PWR that closed in 2022 and is undergoing recommissioning by Holtec.
The construction permit application process began in December 2025 with the submission of a limited work authorization request and an Environmental Report. The NRC accepted these for review and docketed them in February. A draft Safety Evaluation Report for the limited work authorization application is anticipated in December 2026.
Early Construction Activities and Future Steps
An exemption granted by the NRC on August 28 authorized the installation of permanent support-of-excavation and cutoff-wall systems for Pioneer units 1 and 2. These systems, including diaphragm walls, soldier-pile soil-mix walls, and perimeter cutoff walls, are intended to establish stable excavation and foundation conditions to accelerate subsequent plant construction once limited work authorization is approved. These support-of-excavation walls will be retired in place, with the space between the walls and permanent structures backfilled to grade.
Holtec plans to complete a Class 2 construction estimate, a 4D simulation of the entire plant's construction evolution, and confirmatory safety analyses for the plant's Final Safety Analysis Report. A safety evaluation report and environmental assessment are required before the NRC can approve reactor projects. A separate operating license application will be required after the units are built.
Holtec acknowledged the support from the US Department of Energy for the Pioneer deployment program and the NRC's engagement and responsiveness, which have contributed to the project's progress. The Pioneer reactors are projected to be operational in the early 2030s.
