WASHINGTON D.C. The following statement, in response to Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s vote on the draft proposed rule for 10 CFR Part 53, may be attributed to Nuclear Innovation Alliance Research Director Patrick White:
"The Commission vote on the draft proposed rule for 10 CFR Part 53 is an important next step in the development of a new regulatory framework for advanced reactors. The Commission has directed the NRC staff to make major changes to the draft proposed rule that reflect stakeholder feedback and comments. The vote by the Commission directs the NRC staff to remove several new regulatory requirements that were added in 10 CFR Part 53 (e.g., new operational programs), clarifies the implementation of important regulatory requirements (e.g., use of probabilistic risk assessment), and emphasizes that the new rule for advanced reactors should leverage existing regulatory requirements (e.g., quality assurance programs) where appropriate and applicable. The NRC staff will work over the next six months to revise the draft proposed rule for 10 CFR Part 53 before it is published for public comment.
“NIA believes this clear direction from the Commission will help clarify the intent of the draft proposed rule for 10 CFR Part 53 and realign NRC staff and external stakeholders as we continue the rulemaking process. The Commission directed the NRC staff to work with external stakeholders on the development of new comprehensive risk metrics that will be used to help assess safety of advanced reactors and NIA looks forward to working with NRC on these important technical issues. NIA and other external stakeholders will continue to engage with NRC staff on the rulemaking process and work to inform development of a usable Part 53 regulatory framework. NIA believes that this vote by the Commission is an important step forward in creating a regulatory framework for advanced reactors that can provide both regulatory flexibility and predictability for advanced reactors and enables the commercialization and deployment of advanced nuclear energy."
Please see NIA's prior comments, presentations, and briefs on Part 53 for additional details:
- NIA Brief: Bridging the Gap on Part 53 Rule Development (February 2023)
- NIA Comment to NRC on Part 53 (August 2022)
- NRC Public Meeting - Nuclear Innovation Alliance Perspective on Part 53 (February 2022)
- NIA Comment to NRC on Part 53 (November 2021)
- Joint Comment to NRC on Part 53 (July 2021)
For media inquiries, please contact Ben Finzel at info@renewpr.com.
About NIA: The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) is a non-profit think-and-do-tank working to enable nuclear power as a global solution to mitigate climate change. Through policy analysis, research, and education, we are catalyzing the next era of nuclear energy. Our organization is funded primarily through charitable grants and philanthropic donations from climate-concerned individuals and organizations.