US eases licensing path for tested reactors

Washington: The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalised a rule allowing commercial reactor developers to use relevant findings from federal demonstration programmes in their licence applications, while retaining requirements for an independent safety review.

The framework permits applicants to submit analyses, test data and other information generated through reactor demonstration programmes run by the Department of Energy or the Department of War.

The NRC said the change was designed to make reviews more efficient by building on existing technical evidence. Applicants will still have to demonstrate that their proposed commercial projects satisfy the agency’s requirements.

The rule will take effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, which the commission said was expected next week.

“This rule delivers the EO 14300 vision for an expedited path from DOE and DOW projects to NRC commercial licensing,” NRC Chairman Ho K. Nieh said.

“High-quality applications showing how DOE and DOW results apply to NRC requirements will help us review them more efficiently.”

The final rule amends establishes a framework for considering relevant information from federal demonstrations when assessing applications for commercial reactors.

Those differences can include the reactor’s design, the proposed site or hazards that could affect safety. The commission said developers remain responsible for explaining how the submitted information applies to NRC requirements.

The commission said it would continue independently evaluating the safety of proposed commercial projects, even when an application relied on evidence produced through another federal programme.

The NRC proposed the rule on April 2 and received 136 unique comment submissions.

The agency said a detailed response to public comments would be made available through its website and its Agencywide Documents Access and Management System.

The announcement did not provide an estimate of how many months the framework would remove from a licensing review or how much applicants would save.

Its stated objective is to make better use of relevant evidence already generated through federal demonstrations while requiring applicants to address the circumstances of their commercial projects.

The NRC described the measure as the first major change to its reactor regulations finalised under Executive Order 14300, which directs the agency to accelerate the licensing of safe nuclear technologies.

The rule is a domestic US licensing measure. The announcement did not identify a change in nuclear cooperation arrangements with India or confer approval on any foreign reactor project.

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