Veteran Nuclear Engineer Sounds Alarm Over Michigan's Palisades Reactor

Arnie Gundersen, veteran nuclear engineer warns of dangerously degraded steam generator tubes.

By EVWorld.com Si Editorial Team

In a striking warning to federal regulators, veteran nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen — a 54-year industry veteran — has compared the restart of Michigan's Palisades Nuclear Power Plant to NASA's 1986 Challenger disaster, arguing that commercial and political pressures are once again overriding engineering caution.

Gundersen's open letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) details evidence of widespread Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking (PWSCC) in key welds and severe degradation of steam generator tubes — the plant's critical barrier between radioactive coolant and the environment. He warned that Palisades' reactor coolant system may not survive "even six months" after restart.

The reactor, owned by Holtec International, was shut down in 2022 after five decades of operation. Its proposed resurrection marks the first attempt in U.S. history to restart a decommissioned nuclear plant. Backed by a $1.5 billion federal loan and Michigan's clean-energy ambitions, Holtec's plan has drawn praise for preserving carbon-free power — but also fierce criticism from safety advocates.

According to Gundersen, Holtec allowed improper "wet layup" during the plant's dormancy, failing to maintain water chemistry that prevents corrosion. He called the oversight a "rookie error" that could trigger cascading tube failures and, in the worst case, a core meltdown.

→ Background coverage at Free Press

The NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has already approved several of Holtec's licensing amendments despite appeals from environmental groups including Beyond Nuclear, Don't Waste Michigan, and Three Mile Island Alert. Final approval now rests with the ACRS and NRC commissioners.

Gundersen's comparison to Challenger underscores a deeper concern: institutional memory and technical skepticism eroded by political momentum. "Never in my professional career have I been more concerned about the integrity of a reactor coolant boundary," he wrote. Like the engineers ignored before the shuttle launch, Gundersen warns that the drive to make Palisades a poster child for nuclear revival risks repeating history's most painful engineering lessons.

If allowed to restart without comprehensive inspections, the Palisades case could set a dangerous national precedent — potentially encouraging other utilities, such as those at Three Mile Island Unit 1 and Duane Arnold, to pursue similar reactivations of aging reactors.

For Gundersen and his allies, the warning is clear: some old reactors may be better left asleep than awakened to a new era of risk.

Learn More:

Full letter at Beyond Nuclear

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