NRC lets Holtec start Pioneer excavation work early

Holtec announced September 15 that the NRC granted an August 28 exemption authorizing permanent support-of-excavation and cutoff-wall systems for Pioneer Units 1 and 2 at Palisades before a Limited Work Authorization. The work covers diaphragm walls, soldier-pile soil-mix walls, perimeter cutoff walls, excavation, dewatering, and ground improvement for the nuclear island, turbine island, and balance of plant, a combined 680 MW SMR-300 project. An August 25 environmental assessment found no significant impact; the exemption is not a construction permit.