[decomm_wkg] Constellation uprates

Re: Constellation uprates.

decomm_wkg@lists.riseup.net

17h agoNuclear News

Constellation has signed a 270-MW agreement with a customer that would link support for clean energy resources like nuclear to other new power generation resources.

This agreement under Constellation's Peak+ program was one of several nuclear-related items highlighted by Constellation executives at its third-quarter earnings call Monday. Other topics mentioned included the recent flurry of uprate announcements, the Crane restart, and the midterm elections.

A new agreement: In the third-quarter news release issued alongside the earnings call, the Peak+ program was described as an “integrated customer solution that combines new capacity to support peak demand growth with energy products tailored to customer needs.” In this first agreement, Constellation signed a 20-year, 270-MW agreement “of unit-contingent energy, capacity, and attributes from our existing nuclear fleet set to begin in 2028.”

President and CEO Joe Dominguez said in the earnings call that Peak+ would give “customers another path to get new demand on line efficiently and gives us another path to capture premium value that supports the existing fleet.” One example he provided was potentially pairing a customer with a battery storage provider.

Constellation did not disclose who its first Peak+ customer is.

Uprates updates: During the third quarter of 2026, Constellation signed agreements with three customers for 4,560 MW, which includes 1,165 MW of new nuclear capacity through ongoing and planned uprates that the utility has said will cost $4.3 billion. It is set to invest roughly $1.3 billion in uprates in 2026–2027, with the other $3 billion to fund uprate projects in 2028–2032. 

The Department of Energy has committed to a $5 billion conditional loan that would cover up to 80 percent of eligible costs from 2023 to 2035, according to Constellation. This could include potential future investments.

“We have not finished exploring uprates at plants. Design and engineering work continues,” said Dominguez.

Constellation’s nuclear fleet produced 46,677 GWh in the third quarter, up from 46,477 GWh in the third quarter of the previous year. Excluding its two partly owned plants, Salem and South Texas Project, its fleet reported a 97.2 percent capacity factor for the third quarter, higher than the 96.8 percent capacity factor reported for the third quarter of 2025.

Crane update: Dominguez said the restart of the former Three Mile Island-1 in Pennsylvania remains on track for the second half of 2027, which, he added, would be ahead of schedule. The restart project cleared a regulatory hurdle in September when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its final environmental assessment and a finding of no significant impact for Crane, a decision that Dominguez described as “favorable” during the earnings call. Fuel assemblies and transformers are already on site, he added.

Weighing in on midterms: Dominguez referenced the November 3 midterm elections a few times during the earnings call. He said there was a “bit of an overreaction” in the market to the election results—where Democrats flipped the U.S. House and U.S. Senate—and the impact Democratic majorities may have on the data center boom. Much like with nuclear energy expansion, Dominguez said there are bipartisan solutions out there to address the topic of data centers.

“The bottom line is Democrats care deeply about economic growth and they care very deeply about the many labor jobs that go with data center construction,” he said. “Indeed, with labor such a key constituent for Democrats, it's hard to imagine that we are going to halt work.”

Tom Clements and SRSWatch.org: The importance of Local Nuclear Watchdogs

For Immediate Release.  November 10, 2026

www.srswatch.org

Contact: Tom Clements, Director, SRS Watch, cell 803-240-7268, tomclements329@cs.com

Columbia, South Carolina USA

Link  https://srswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/SRS-Watch-news-on-VC-Summer-reactor-sale-Nov-10-2026.pdf

 

Plans to Export V.C. Summer Reactor Vessel and Pumps Reveal 

Project to Restart Twin Units May be Faltering;

NRC Export License Application States Ukraine is Recipient

 

Columbia, SC – An export application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the Westinghouse Electric Company reveals that plans are being laid to export “One Reactor Vessel and Four Primary Reactor Coolant Pumps” from the V.C. Summer site in South Carolina, where efforts to build two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors failed in 2017, after a decade of construction at the site.

The NRC export application raises serious questions about the fate of not only key equipment at the site but also the status of a secretive effort to restart construction of the two abandoned reactors, according to a public-interest organization monitoring the project. 

See NRC export license application by Westinghouse, October 21, 2026: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2630/ML26302A238.pdf

Plans are currently proceeding under a Memorandum of Understanding between Santee Cooper and Brookfield Asset Management to assess the possibility of restarting the project to finish construction of both V.C. Summer units 2 and 3.  The export license application would likely be for the reactor vessel - in storage - of unit 3, which is far less complete than the project for unit 2 (and which already has the reactor vessel installed).

The export plan likely is likely an indication that contingency plans are being made if project restart efforts for one or both units fail.  Neither Santee Cooper, the state-owned electricity utility which owns the project, nor Brookfield Asset Management nor Westinghouse have yet commented publicly on the export license application, which was posted in the NRC’s on-line digital library (ADAMS) on October 29, 2026.

According to the NRC export license application, the shipment could be on or after April 1, 2028, with a “proposed expiration” date of the license of April 1, 2033.  April 1, 2028 is a day after the day (March 31, 2028) by which Brookfield has to present a “Final Investment Decision” (FID) plan, as agreed with Santee Cooper (formally known as the South Carolina Public Service Authority), for the fate of “Fairfield Nuclear Project” – whether to proceed or not and at what cost and with what technical challenges.  (See Santee Cooper Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), top of page 20: https://www.santeecooper.com/About/_pdfs/Santee-Cooper-2026-Triennial-IRP.pdf)

The NRC export license application, dated October 21, 2026, indicates that National Nuclear Energy Generating Company (Energoatom) in Kyiv, Ukraine would be the recipient of the equipment.  The application further reveals that the equipment would be used for Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5, the first of two AP1000 units sought by Ukraine.  (See Energoatom news release of April 15, 2024 at “At the Khmelnytsky NPP, a project on the construction of Units 5 and 6 using the American Westinghouse technology started.”)

As the extremely heavy reactor vessel was transported from the port of Charleston via a special, articulated train car it will likely have to be transported off the site in that same manner if the transport were to go forward.  It is unknown if Ukraine has a “heavy lift derrick” to lift the reactor vessel off a ship or on arrival at Khemelnytsky (English spelling change) or if it an articulated train car would be available to transport the vessel in Ukraine.

“That Westinghouse has already applied to export a rector vessel from the V.C. Summer site is an indication that plans to restart both terminated reactors are faltering,” said Tom Clements of Savannah River Site Watch, a public-interest group based in Columbia, SC.  Clements spearheaded a successful intervention before the South Carolina Public Service Commission from 2008 to 2017 with the environmental group Friends of the Earth to oppose the construction of the new V.C. Summer reactors. “Westinghouse, Santee Cooper and Brookfield Asset Management must promptly explain why the reactor vessel export application was submitted to the NRC,” Clements added.

Clements found the export license application by searching the NRC’s digital library on others matters and was “surprised” to run across it by chance, he says.

Export of the unit 2 equipment could also take place, as SRS Watch speculated in an August 2025 report: Economic, Technical and Regulatory Challenges Confound Restart of the Terminated V.C. Summer Nuclear Reactor Construction Project in South Carolina.

“I find it of concern that those party to the reactor vessel export have not revealed their plan to the people of South Carolina, who paid billions of dollars for the failed project, with Dominion customers still paying 5.22 percent of their monthly bill for it,” said Clements.

See links to key South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff documents on the 5.22% monthly “failed reactor project charge,” which Clements has asked the PSC to rule that the change must be shown on the Dominion bill: https://srswatch.org/secret-5-22-monthly-charge-for-terminated-nuclear-reactor-project-at-v-c-summer-slamming-dominions-electricity-customers-to-go-on-for-13-more-years/)

“I pointed out in testimony to the South Carolina Public Service Commission on Dominion Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan, the company is listed on the application in a section on “U. S. Suppliers and/or other U. S. Parties to the Export,” said Clements.  “As Dominion has publicly disavowed any involvement in restart of the V.C. Summer reactor project, the public needs an explanation if the company is involved in the component export or not,” said Clements.  The export license application was submitted by Clements for the record of the PSC’s November 2, 2026 IRP hearing.

Concerning export of the old, abandoned equipment to Ukraine, Clements said “Because the NRC has not inspected the equipment since the construction license was terminated in 2019, Ukraine should be extremely diligent concerning the quality of the equipment.  The reactor vessel has been sitting in storage for a decade and its quality can’t be guaranteed by the NRC,” added Clements.  “It is unclear how Ukraine could pay for the V.C. Summer equipment and we wonder if the US Ex-Im Bank could be called upon to finance it, a cost that must not burden US taxpayers,” said Clements.
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Note: A list of background documents on the Santee Cooper and Brookfield decision timeline with the V.C. Summer units 2 & 3 restart project project can be found here:  

https://srswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/VC-Summer-reactor-export-background-docs.pdf

https://www.enr.com/articles/64245-michigans-palisades-nuclear-plant-restart-date-is-still-unclear

Michigan's Palisades Nuclear Plant Restart Date is Still Unclear

By Debra K. Rubin
Credit: Holtec International

November 9, 2026

Despite a multi-week setback related to a mishap in work by Holtec International to restart the decommissioned Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan and regulators' concern about the site’s "chilled" safety environment, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the 800-MW facility, closed since mid-2022, “would be back running” before year-end, possibly as early as Nov. 30. 

Wright made the comment at an Oct. 29 visit to the site on the eastern side of Lake Michigan. The firm has not publicly committed to the prediction or to any restart date estimate, with plant spokesman Nick Culp noting that it will happen “when all required work is complete and all applicable U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements and industry standards are met.” 

The firm had set previous plant restart dates since recommissioning began in 2025, aided by $1.5 billion in federal funds.

The restart would be the first for a commercial nuclear power reactor in the U.S.

Axios Pro reported Nov. 3 that Holtec "cut hundreds of workers and reshuffled leadership as Palisades nuclear restart fell roughly a year behind schedule," based on what it said was information from five unidentified "industry sources." 

According to what could be determined from the report, Holtec CEO Krishna Singh has taken the added role of president of global clean energy opportunities, with the departure of Rick Springman, promoted to that position in 2023 to be responsible for global strategy, new project development and commercial structures to deploy clean energy technologies, including small modular reactors. Chief Nuclear Officer Fadi Diya has assumed responsibility to direct the firm's small modular reactor program, Axios Pro said. 

"The Palisades restart is an unprecedented undertaking involving extensive equipment restoration, plant modifications, system testing, and the rebuilding of a fully staffed nuclear operating organization," Culp said. "At its peak, the project brought together more than 2,000 nuclear professionals, skilled tradespeople and contractors. As significant restoration and construction activities are completed, we are reducing contractor staffing levels consistent with the transition from a major restart project to long-term plant operations. 

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He declned comment on restart delay noted by Axios Pro or on the executive shifts, but said that "leadership transitions are a normal part of managing a project of this scale and complexity."

'Chillled Environment'

Plant fuel loading was disrupted on Aug. 30, after a fuel assembly unexpectedly tilted inside the reactor, although with no radiation release or work erinjuries. After gaining federal approval for use of an alternative method to remove the fuel assembly from the reactor vessel and transport it to a spent fuel pool on site, work completed in late October. 

The commission also identified in an Oct. 13 letter to Holtec a “chilled work environment” in the project supply-chain and quality-assurance functions, following a safety inspection at the site, finding employee reluctance to raise safety concerns because of perceived fear of retaliation, even termination. 

“It is important for Holtec and Palisades to assess the culture for these work departments, address the causes that created and sustained the chilled work environment ... and take steps to ensure that all staff at Holtec and Palisades are willing to openly raise safety concerns at all levels,”  the commission said. It said it found no violations or major plant-safety risks that would halt or compromise restart.

Diya said in a statement that the firm "approached this recovery with the same commitment to safety, technical rigor and teamwork that has guided our work throughout the restart."

But nuclear engineer David Lochbaum, former director of nuclear safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists,  who opposes the restart, said the warning letter from the commission was “very rare.” 

Holtec, which must submit to the commission by Nov. 13 a safety "corrective action" plan that includes an independent evaluation and management outreach to employees, said it is taking actions as required.

Separately, a New Jersey jury last month awarded the company's former chief financial officer $2.1 million after finding it retaliated against him for raising concerns about a draft investment document related to its small modular nuclear reactor fleet, which Holtec said it disputes and will appeal.