NRC Flags Chilled Work Environment at Palisades After Operator Exam Failures

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a warning to Holtec International on Wednesday regarding the safety culture at the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. The agency identified a chilled work environment that has left employees reluctant to raise safety concerns due to fear of retaliation. This directive follows a recent inspection and a string of operational setbacks at the facility.

The NRC’s review was triggered by questions about safety awareness at the site. Two specific incidents prompted the deeper look. In July of last year, a contractor fell into the reactor cavity. The worker swallowed water and required off-site medical care. Radiation protection staff decontaminated the individual, but an incident report recorded 300 counts per minute in their hair.

A second incident occurred in August when a bundle of nuclear fuel rods tilted during a refueling operation. That event delayed the anticipated restart of the plant. This delay is notable because Palisades was expected to be the first closed nuclear reactor in the United States to resume operations.

The regulator also cited poor performance on licensing exams. Nine of the 15 reactor operators at Palisades failed the initial license examination administered between July and August. Only six individuals received operator licenses during that period. The NRC told Holtec to address the atmosphere that contributed to these results.

Holtec has not operated a nuclear power plant before. The company has secured approximately $2.2 billion in government support for the Palisades project. This initiative is central to the administration's push to revive the domestic nuclear industry. Critics argue that financial and political pressure to restart plants could increase the likelihood of accidents as energy demand rises.

Palisades is not the only facility planning a return to service. Owners of Two Mile Island in Pennsylvania and Duane Arnold in Iowa announced restart plans for their plants. These announcements followed the start of work at Palisades. The NRC’s warning places additional scrutiny on the restart timeline for the Michigan site.