The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists describes what is necessary to restary a nuclear plant that has been shut down, like Thtee Mile Island.

In the United States, nuclear energy is back in the spotlight because it is the country’s single largest source of carbon-free energy at a time when reducing carbon emissions is increasingly becoming urgent. At the same time, demand is on the rise for reliable, always-on electricity to undergird the stability of the US power grid while supporting the expansion of computational and industrial applications.

The Palisades nuclear power plant, shut down in May 2022, is now undergoing a significant overhaul.

As a first step, Holtec and the NRC must thoroughly inspect the whole plant, with a particular focus on the reactor pressure vessel and cooling systems.

Awakening Three Mile Island Unit 1.ÂTo be clear, no one is planning to restart Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2), which melted down in 1979. It is TMI-1 that Constellation Energy, which purchased the reactor in 1999, announced will be undergoing refurbishment. Despite being adjacent to Unit 2, TMI-1 was undamaged by the 1979 accident and remained fully functional.

Regulatory and workforce challenges. This is where things will get tricky: For both Palisades and TMI-1 to restart, they’ll need to navigate a somewhat uncharted regulatory landscape with NRC involvement at every step of the way.