The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held two public meetings on November 15th and 20th to solicit feedback as to whether to compile a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for the construction and operation of...more
11/25/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Infrastructure ,
NEPA ,
Nuclear Power ,
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ,
Power Plants ,
Public Meetings ,
Regulatory Agenda
On 3 October 2019, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the imposition of civil penalties for violations of the Part 810 regulations (10 CFR Part 810), which control the export of...more
10/11/2019
/ Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Policy ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Bans ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
NDAA ,
Part 810 ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Rulemaking Process
The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) late last week published two papers on recommendations for addressing regulatory challenges related to advanced reactor licensing...more
On Wednesday Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) hosted a meeting on the Hill about how to enhance the development of nuclear energy by finding its “SpaceX” moment. The meeting relates to NIA’s new publication, In Seach of a...more
9/13/2019
/ Aerospace ,
Climate Change ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Projects ,
Funding ,
NASA ,
National Security ,
Nuclear Power ,
Outer Space ,
Pay-for-Performance ,
SpaceX
On Tuesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee passed a slew of energy related-legislation, including the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA), on a largely bipartisan basis. NELA supports the development and...more
On June 18, 2019, U.S. Representatives Elaine Luria (D-VA) and Denver Riggleman (R-VA), along with Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Conor Lamb (D-PA), introduced in the House the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (H.R. 3306), an...more
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in early May issued a notice seeking comments on a new draft regulatory guide impacting advanced reactor licensing. ...more
5/15/2019
/ Administrative Review ,
Comment Period ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
License Applications ,
New Guidance ,
Nuclear Power ,
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ,
Power Plants ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight
April has seen significant milestones in licensing of advanced reactors. We take a closer look at these developments, in particular the first submission of an advanced reactor license application in Canada....more
The reintroduction of Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA) caps off a week of activities focused on innovation, and follows on advancement of key U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) guidance on advanced reactor...more
3/29/2019
/ Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Projects ,
Innovation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licensing Rules ,
Nuclear Power ,
Power Plants ,
Power Purchase Agreements ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Research and Development
The start of 2019 has seen significant progress towards production and licensing of high-assay low-enriched uranium (“HALEU”) fuel. If this momentum keeps up, it has the ability to check off what we have long-discussed to be...more
Activity across the government has put advanced nuclear reactors center stage early this year. With the signing of the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, hearings on Capitol Hill, and the release of a...more
Happy New Year! As we start off 2019, we want to motive the nuclear community by sharing a few legal updates and popular reports that have come out around the end of the last year....more
Earlier this month, a leading group of Canadian power companies and government entities (although not the nuclear regulator) issued a “Canadian SMR Roadmap,” an 89 page plan for Canada to become a leader in small modular and...more
Significant advances in fusion energy research in recent years have helped set aside the typical storyline that fusion—long considered the “Holy Grail” of energy—is “always 40 years away.” ...more
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently released a staff paper-SECY-18-0096-seeking Commission approval of a new proposed methodology for establishing “functional containment” performance criteria for non-light...more
In a development that could cause every advanced reactor startup to reexamine its growth strategy, the US government (USG) yesterday afternoon issued a new framework concerning exports to China, which largely closes the...more
Recently, the Hill has been taking a flurry of legislative actions that impact the advanced reactor community across all spectra. We provide a summary of some of the major bills going through Congress below, including a...more
A bipartisan group of nine U.S. senators has introduced the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA) (S 3422), a bill designed to help the United States return to its lead in nuclear energy technology. ...more
This month, the NRC published an early draft regulatory guide on the content of license applications for non-LWRs. The document is designed to help license applicants apply the NRC’s movement towards a...more
In today’s international nuclear marketplace, foreign investment is a significant source of capital for U.S. next-generation nuclear ventures. ...more
8/13/2018
/ CFIUS ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Energy Sector ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Investment ,
Jurisdiction ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Security ,
Nuclear Power ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight
The NRC staff recently publicly released a major new paper embracing regulatory reform to advance risk-informed regulation for advanced reactors. Included in this paper is a concept of a “10 CFR Part 53”—a potentially...more
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed “the first and most intensive phase of review for” NuScale’s Design Certification Application for its small modular reactor. ...more
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week announced the award of approximately $60 million to 13 advanced reactor projects—the first under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) “U.S. Industry Opportunities for...more
NASA iTech and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) are collaborating on a unique competition to identify transformational energy technologies that can address critical problems...more
On April 4, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued Regulatory Guide 1.232, Guidance for Developing Principal Design Criteria for Non-Light Water Reactors. ...more