Reactor restarts, uprates and refurbishments gain momentum worldwide while execution risks persist

Palisades, Crane and Duane Arnold illustrate a potentially repeatable NRC-review and DOE-financing model, with Duane Arnold leading on financing and Google offtake for a planned early-2029 restart. Pickering’s $19 billion refurbishment reinforces refurbishment as a more bankable route than greenfield construction, while its decade-long schedule and workforce requirements highlight execution risk. Palisades’ paused fuel loading and Taiwan’s still-unapproved Maanshan restart show that technical and regulatory issues can derail schedules.