On January 13, the NRC announced that the submission—the first of an expected two-part construction permit application from SMR, LLC (a Holtec International subsidiary)—was available for review. The NRC staff is reviewing the application, and if it is sufficient the staff will docket it and set a schedule for a detailed technical review, which according to the NRC is “not to exceed 18 months.”
One of Holtec’s key developments: In a review of its business accomplishments in 2025, Holtec International highlighted some “pivotal breakthroughs” in its plans to deploy two SMR-300 small modular reactors at its Palisades site, including the award of $400 million from the Department of Energy in early December.
Holtec reported that it expects to begin preparatory civil construction work at the site as soon as the Palisades reactor is reconnected to the grid, which is likely by the end of February, according to the company (earlier estimates had Palisades set for restart by the end of 2025).
LWA package details: Holtec “requests approval of the proposed LWA application by December 31, 2026,” and includes three separate exemptions in its application.
Holtec asked that two of those exemptions—to permit certain construction activities prior to a full construction permit and to exempt the applicant from requirements to identify specific sources of funding at this time—be reviewed and approved concurrently with the LWA application.
Holtec has also requested a quicker six-month review schedule for an exemption request to allow the permanent installation of retaining walls, or excavation supports, prior to LWA approval.
Once the LWA is approved, Holtec plans to “perform soil improvement to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of the soil within the excavation and install foundations for [containment structures] (one for each unit), the [reactor auxiliary building] (shared between the two units) and for the [intermediate buildings] (one for each unit).” Additional construction activities that would be permitted under an exemption request include the construction of a “steel-concrete containment vessel from the foundation to plant grade level” and below-grade structures and walls.
Progress in the U.K.: There has been additional progress for Holtec’s SMR program beyond the Palisades developments. According to the company, the reactor has “drawn strong interest from countries far and wide, many of whom do not have an operating nuclear plant at present. We are particularly gratified by our regulatory progress in the United Kingdom, expected to culminate in a successful Generic Design Assessment (GDA) Step 2 outcome in early 2026.”
The company said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with EDF in the United Kingdom to construct SMR-300s at the former coal-powered Cottam site, located in the Nottinghamshire area of England.
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