The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given Holtec International until March of 2028 to seek license renewal for the Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert Township while the company continues working to bring the facility back online.

The NRC’s Scott Burnell tells us the commission on Wednesday issued a formal notice in the federal register confirming the plant in Van Buren County can operate safely through its March 2031 license expiration.

Burnell says under federal rules, if a plant applies for a license renewal more than five years before the license expiration, then it gets “timely renewal protection,” allowing it to continue operating beyond the expiration if the NRC’s review isn’t complete by then. In this case, Holtec has been granted an exemption from the five-year advance filing rule so it can focus on restarting.

“Holtec essentially said, ‘We don’t think we can get an application in within that five-year period. So, we would like an exemption from the rules so that we still have that timely renewal protection.’ And the NRC said, okay, as long as an application is submitted and it’s accepted by the end of March in 2028, timely renewal will apply,” Burnell said.

Holtec sought the exemption back in June. The NRC has now instead determined Holtec may submit its license renewal application at least three years prior to the expiration, giving us the new 2028 date.

While the exemption helps Holtec get Palisades back online, Burnell says the license renewal issue isn’t necessarily related to the restart because it would have been required either way.