Decommissioning begins with the permanent removal of the plant from service, which occurred at Palisades on May 20, 2022. Experienced Palisades employees then removed all fuel from the reactor and placed it into the spent fuel pool. Defueling the Palisades reactor was completed on June 10, 2022.
As stated in the Palisades Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR), Holtec plans to move the spent fuel from the Palisades spent fuel pool to dry cask storage from 2022 through 2025. The fuel will be secured and monitored on an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), where it shall remain until such time that an interim or permanent spent fuel facility is made available by the federal government.
Holtec then plans to pause major decommissioning work for about ten years after the spent fuel is transferred to the ISFSI. Other decommissioning activities include removal of contaminated systems and components, demolition of buildings, and completion of site restoration. The projected date to complete decommissioning at Palisades is 2041.