Holtec International received NRC docketing of its Limited Work Authorization application for Pioneer Units 1 and 2 — dual SMR-300 reactors at the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in Covert, Michigan — on February 27, 2026. This is the first NRC construction permit application for an SMR-300 and one of the most significant regulatory milestones in the US SMR programme. Under Mission 2030, announced February 25, 2025 with Hyundai E&C, the Pioneer units target operation by 2030 alongside the Palisades large reactor restart. Holtec received a $400 million DOE grant in December 2025 to support this programme. The dual restart-and-build strategy at Palisades is unique in nuclear history. In June 2026, the NRC began preparing an environmental impact statement for the Pioneer units and opened a 30-day public scoping period. The Palisades site also hosts Holtec's separate restart of the existing large Palisades reactor, for which the NRC granted approval in 2025 — a rare combination of an operating-reactor restart alongside new SMR construction at the same site.