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This paper compiles a set of specific NIA recommendations for NRC reforms that would facilitate the licensing and deployment of advanced nuclear energy at scale. It also describes the specific roles of different players (Congress, the NRC Commission, NRC management and staff, and advanced reactor license applicants) in creating a modernized, effective regulator. 

Two important developments make this update particularly timely. First, Congress recently enacted the ADVANCE Act, providing NRC with additional authorities and reporting requirements that the agency must effectively implement and complete. Second, the NRC just announced a new Executive Director for Operations and is in the process of filling several vacancies in key leadership positions. The incoming leadership has the opportunity to inspire, empower, and hold accountable the NRC staff for new levels of high performance.    

To view NIA's press statement regarding the publication of this paper, click here.

NIA's response to the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE's) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) request for information regarding strategies for industrial decarbonization. (DE-FOA-0003363).

This letter, signed by NIA and other organizations, requests that the US. House Appropriations Committee provide an additional $3 million in FY 2025 for the EPA's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air to develop a new, technology-neutral, generic protection standard that reflects modern, international practices and that would apply to future high-level nuclear waste disposal facilities as authorized by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. 

This brief provides an overview of recent events that have taken place in the advanced reactor ecosystem, as of June 2024, with a focus on advanced reactor opportunities, deployment needs, and progress that has been made with respect to the following topics: licensing and regulation, federal legislation and fuel availability, industrial decarbonization, exports, early mover project risk sharing, and hydrogen production.

This report summarizes insights from a series of workshops conducted by The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) under Chatham House rules in 2023 and early 2024 to identify the factors inhibiting commitments to advanced nuclear energy projects and potential steps to accelerate such commitments. Through these workshops, we found that key factors holding back further commitments include the uncertainty in the ultimate project cost and the long and expensive development process for nuclear energy projects, including licensing. We identified potential actions by private-sector actors, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and Congress to accelerate commitments to additional advanced nuclear energy projects by reducing and sharing risks facing early mover projects. 

To view NIA's press statement regarding the publication of this paper, click here.  

This NIA Fact Sheet highlights the deployment timeline of selected advanced reactors projects.

Last updated August 2024

NIA Research Director Patrick White presented an American Nuclear Society, Community of Practice Webinar on "Next Steps on 10 CFR Part 53: Updates on Developing a New Regulatory Framework for Advanced Reactors."

The webinar provided a history of nuclear regulation in the United States, the development process for 10 CFR Part 53, and updates on the current status and next steps for the new regulatory framework for advanced reactors. 

The presentation slides can be found here.

This letter expresses NIA’s support of President Biden’s nomination of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chair Christopher T. Hanson to another five-year term and urges the Senate to move swiftly to confirm his nomination.

These comments were submitted by the U.S.‐based members of the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative (NHI) including the Nuclear Innovation Alliance.  Our comments underscore the importance of ensuring that nuclear energy plays a meaningful role in hydrogen production. Not only does this clearly reflect Congressional intent in both IRA and IIJA clean hydrogen programs, but we believe that a large‐scale clean hydrogen market will not exist without nuclear‐produced hydrogen. To address this issue, our comments propose several additional pathways for existing nuclear facilities to qualify for the 45V tax credit. 

This report reviews the current licensing process for new nuclear power plants at the NRC and concludes that it is unlikely the agency could reasonably scale existing licensing processes as they are currently implemented to meet the potential future high volume licensing demand (tens to hundreds of new reactors per year) to meet mid-century climate goals. It also identifies major licensing processes that most significantly constrain NRC licensing capacity limitations relevant to future high volume licensing. Finally, it presents three specific proposals that aim to enable high volume licensing of advanced nuclear energy by the NRC in the long term.

To view NIA's press statement regarding the publication of this paper, click here.