The warning has prompted concerns among critics that financial and political pressures to revitalize nuclear power as an answer to booming AI-driven energy demand are increasing risks of accidents.
The NRC performed an inspection at Palisades in July over concerns about safety awareness. It followed an incident last year in which a worker fell into the reactor cavity, ingested some water, and was sent off-site for medical attention. The individual was decontaminated by radiation protection personnel but had 300 counts per minute detected in their hair, according to an incident report.
In a second incident in August, a bundle of nuclear fuel rods tilted over during a refueling operation, delaying what was anticipated to be the first reopening of a shuttered nuclear reactor in the US.
