Holtec International

Holtec International is an American supplier of equipment and systems for the energy industry.[1][2] Founded in Mount Laurel, New Jersey in 1986, Holtec International is a privately held technology company with domestic operation centers in New Jersey, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania and worldwide in Brazil, India Japan, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Spain, U.K. and Ukraine.[3] It specializes in the design and manufacture of parts for nuclear reactors. The company sells equipment to manage spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors.[4][5]

Holtec manufactures storage and transport casks for spent nuclear fuel and offers products and services related to heat transfer equipment, decommissioning of nuclear power facilities, design and engineering, civil construction, and other technologies, including the SMR-300 and Green Boiler.[6]

One other innovative project designed for the US nuclear power industry to safety store its used fuel is Holtec's HI-STORE Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF).[7]

In July 2014, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded Holtec International a $260 million tax incentive to expand operations at the Port of Camden.[8] Those breaks have come under scrutiny.[9][10][11]

SMR-160

The Holtec SMR-160, originally named the Holtec Inherently Safe Modular Underground Reactor, is a single loop natural circulation 160 MWe pressurized water reactor with a passive core cooling system without pumps or valves. It uses standard size PWR enriched uranium fuel.[12][13]

In February 2018, GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (then GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy) agreed to collaborate on the commercialization of the design.[14] In 2020 an agreement was made to use Framatome commercially available 17x17 GAIA fuel assembly in the SMR-160.[15]

As of 2020, the SMR-160 is in the first phase of a Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission pre-licensing review.[15]

In 2022, the company asked for a "USD 7.4 billion federal loan to enable it to increase capacity for SMR production at its existing manufacturing facilities, to construct and operate four SMR-160s in the USA and to build a new Holtec Heavy Industries (HHI) complex for higher capacity manufacturing of components and modules for SMR-160s."[16]

SMR-300

In December 2023, Holtec announced that it intended to build the first two SMR-300 small modular reactor at Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan by mid-2030. The SMR-300 adds forced coolant flow to the gravity-driven flow of the SMR-160.[17]

In December 2023, the British government awarded £30 million to Holtec to develop its SMR presence in the UK, where it is one of 6 competitors for an SMR contract.[18] At the same time, the SMR-300 (previously sometimes called the SMR-160+) entered the UK Generic Design Assessment process.[19][20] In September 2024, Holtec announced it would build a new facility in South Yorkshire to produce the SMR-300 for the European and Middle Eastern markets.[21]

Palisades restart

Holtec International is leading a first-of-its-kind effort in the U.S. to restart the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in Covert, Michigan, which was shut down in 2022. Originally acquired from Entergy for decommissioning, the plant is now being refurbished for recommissioning, with support from a $1.5 billion United States Department of Energy loan and $300 million from the State of Michigan. The restart is expected to deliver 805 MW of carbon-free electricity—enough to power about 800,000 homes—and preserve or create hundreds of jobs. Regulatory progress has been steady, with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issuing a key environmental finding in June 2025, despite challenges from anti-nuclear groups. Holtec has requalified former operators, expanded staffing, and is conducting extensive maintenance and system upgrades. The restart is targeted for mid-2026, with plans to add two small modular reactors (SMR-300s) at the site by the early 2030's. The project is viewed as a potential model for reviving dormant nuclear plants across the U.S., offering a faster, more cost-effective alternative to new builds, while supporting clean energy goals and grid reliability.

External links

• Holtec SMR-160 at US NRC