Holtec International has retrieved a tilted nuclear fuel assembly from the reactor vessel at its Palisades plant in Michigan using a newly manufactured lifting device and custom transfer canister. The controlled recovery allows fuel loading preparations for the proposed plant restart to continue after an incident interrupted the work. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a one-time amendment for the alternative handling method before it was used.
The fuel assembly tilted during loading in September after being placed in the reactor and released from the handling machine. Its lower end remained in the assigned core position while the upper end leaned against the core shroud at an angle reported to be about 30 degrees. Regulatory reporting indicated that the rods remained intact, but the normal handling machine could not retrieve the assembly in the required orientation. Fuel loading stopped while engineers developed another approach.
Holtec’s Fuel Movement Device was designed in Camden, New Jersey, and manufactured in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with personnel at Palisades preparing the procedure, testing the equipment and conducting training. Holtec says the device was engineered, made and delivered within two weeks. That manufacturing timetable describes the tool’s production rather than the length of the nuclear licensing review, which considered the full transfer procedure and safety provisions.
During the recovery, the device lifted the affected assembly from the reactor vessel into a purpose-made transfer canister. Workers secured the canister lid inside the reactor cavity before moving the contained assembly to the plant’s used fuel pool. Equipment selection and sequencing had to account for the unusual initial angle, available lifting paths and handling arrangements at the reactor. Holtec reported that the operation was completed without errors.
The NRC’s one-time authorisation addressed an operation that the existing refuelling arrangements did not cover. The alternative method needed to control the suspended load, prevent contact with surrounding structures and maintain the radiological protections required during lifting and transfer. Approval applied to this particular recovery under an amended licensing basis; it did not approve general use of the equipment for routine fuel movements at other nuclear stations.
Engineering a suitable lift requires more than proving that the mechanism can support the assembly’s weight. The load path, attachment points, possible changes in orientation and the interaction with the receiving canister have to be understood before movement begins. Site personnel also need a procedure that matches available cranes, space, communication arrangements and safeguards for unexpected conditions. Holtec did not release detailed fabrication drawings or the device’s certified load ratings.
Fuel handling places unusual demands on bespoke equipment. A successful lifting arrangement must control orientation, avoid unintended contact with nearby structures and permit predictable load transfer between handling devices. The plant must also maintain shielding and containment conditions appropriate to the work. Holtec has not published complete proprietary design drawings or test loads, and no additional dimensional or performance claims can therefore be attributed to the Fuel Movement Device.
The work combined off-site precision fabrication with an on-site programme of inspections, equipment testing and operator preparation. Different teams were responsible for design, manufacture, licensing and execution, requiring interfaces between the tool and existing fuel-handling plant to be checked before use. The outcome demonstrates the recovery of one obstructing assembly, not a higher-capacity routine handling process or a general improvement in refuelling speed.
Palisades ceased generating electricity in 2022 and is now being prepared for a return to service. Fuel loading began in August 2026 using new and previously used assemblies, but the tilt interrupted the sequence. Retrieving the assembly removes the immediate mechanical obstruction and permits attention to return to the remaining work: loading, inspections, tests and readiness evaluations. These activities have separate acceptance requirements before any restart.
Palisades has an approximately 805MW electrical generating capacity, but that rating describes the station rather than the handling equipment used in the recovery. Neither the bespoke device’s lifting capacity nor a target for reducing the overall restart schedule was disclosed. The engineering achievement is the completed controlled transfer of the obstructing assembly under an authorised procedure.
Holtec reported the successful transfer on 21 October, five days before wider trade coverage of the operation. The NRC amendment and recovery establish that the specific fuel-handling problem has been resolved, but do not establish a date for returning Palisades to generation. Further fuel loading and plant testing must still be completed in accordance with the applicable federal requirements.
