Reactor Licensing & Regulation

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has published the final environmental impact statement for Florida Power and Light St. Lucie Nuclear Plant’s subsequent license renewal. A subsequent license renewal extends a reactor’s operation from 60 to 80 years and comes after the first license renewal that extends potential operating life from 40 to 60 years. In […]

Oklo reached several key regulatory milestones this week for demonstration reactors being developed in Idaho and Texas and a separate project also in Idaho. One approval came via DOE’s reactor pilot program at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory. Oklo’s subsidiary company received the other two approvals as it also received one under the pilot program and […]

Arizona Public Service has officially notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its intent to renew the operating licenses for the Palo Verde Generating Station in Tonopah, Ariz. The Phoenix-based energy utility said in a Monday press release it filed a notice of intent on March 13, informing NRC it plans to submit a subsequent license […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a rule to revise the fees it charges for license applications and certain other activities.  Under the proposed March 12 rule posted in the Federal Register, NRC would establish fixed caps on its service fees. Through Executive Order 14300, NRC has replaced its non-binding milestone schedules with fixed deadlines […]

Arizona Public Service has officially notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its intent to renew the operating licenses for the Palo Verde Generating Station in Tonopah, Ariz. The Phoenix-based energy utility said in a Monday press release it filed a notice of intent on March 13, informing NRC it plans to submit a subsequent license […]

Oklo reached two key regulatory milestones Tuesday for a demonstration reactor being developed at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory and a separate project also in Idaho. One approval came via DOE’s reactor pilot program while Oklo’s subsidiary company won a materials license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. DOE approved Oklo’s nuclear safety design […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a rule to revise the fees it charges for license applications and certain other activities.  Under the proposed March 12 rule posted in the Federal Register, NRC would establish fixed caps on its service fees. Through Executive Order 14300, NRC has replaced its non-binding milestone schedules with fixed deadlines […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – With the Palisades Nuclear Plant nearing its restart, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is looking to fast track the review of the former Three Mile Island Unit 1 to resume operations by March 2027, an NRC panel said Thursday. During the NRC Regulatory Information Conference’s final day, a panel made of NRC […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will stay committed to independence and safety through the various changes to the agency, NRC Chair Ho Nieh said during the opening panel here Tuesday morning. Recently appointed chair Nieh opened up NRC’s 38th annual Regulatory Information Conference. Nieh said there have been a lot of narratives over […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has appointed former NRC staffer Anna Bradford to lead its Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, effective in May. Bradford is currently director of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Jeremy Groom, who is serving as the acting director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, will continue […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – With the influx of nuclear reactor designs coming down the pipe, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is “ready for the moment” to efficiently and safely license, commissioners David Wright and Bradley Crowell said Tuesday morning. The two commissioners spoke in their respective plenaries during the NRC Regulatory Information Conference. Though a lot of […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – Just 11 weeks in, new Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Doug Weaver said Wednesday he is focused on cutting down on the “conservatism” in NRC measures, without compromising safety. Weaver, confirmed as commissioner by the Senate in December 2025, said he wants NRC to become a risk-informed and performance-based regulator. He said his […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is at a crossroads and needs both safety and speed to prepare for incoming nuclear innovation, Commissioner Matthew Marzano said here Wednesday. Marzano opened up the second day of the NRC Regulatory Information Conference. As the recent push for nuclear power seems like an unprecedented moment for the […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – Just 11 weeks in, new Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Doug Weaver said Wednesday he is focused on cutting down on the “conservatism” in NRC measures, without compromising safety, to allow for new nuclear innovation. Weaver, confirmed as commissioner by the Senate in December 2025, said he wants NRC to become a risk-informed […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is at a crossroads and needs both safety and speed to prepare for incoming nuclear innovation, commissioner Matthew Marzano said here Wednesday. Marzano opened up the second day of the NRC Regulatory Information Conference. As the recent push for nuclear power seems like an unprecedented moment for the […]

ROCKVILLE, MD. – With the influx of nuclear reactor designs coming down the pipe, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is “ready for the moment” to efficiently and safely license, commissioners David Wright and Bradley Crowell said Tuesday morning. The two commissioners spoke in their own respective plenaries during the NRC Regulatory Information Conference. Though a lot […]

ROCKVILLE, MD. – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will stay committed to independence and safety through the various changes to the agency, NRC Chair Ho Nieh said during the opening panel here Tuesday morning. Recently appointed chair Nieh opened up NRC’s 38th annual Regulatory Information Conference. Nieh said there have been a lot of narratives over […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has appointed former NRC staffer Anna Bradford to lead its Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, effective in May. Bradford is currently director of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Jeremy Groom, who is serving as the acting director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, will continue […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 15 – 4 Wednesday morning in favor of the renomination of Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Doug Weaver. Weaver, who was confirmed by the Senate in December, was renominated by President Donald Trump on Jan. 29 to serve a new term that will expire on June 30, 2031. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has created a new Office of Advanced Reactors, as part of its reorganization. The Office of Advanced Reactors will handle licensing and oversight of new and advanced reactors, according to NRC’s Monday press release. The office will be in charge of the accelerated review of advanced reactor applications and deployment […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued the Bill Gates-backed nuclear reactor company TerraPower a construction permit for its Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyo. TerraPower, based in Bellevue, Wash., said in a Wednesday press release that it is the first commercial-scale advanced nuclear power plant to ever receive this permit. This is the first commercial […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a new rule that would streamline its Atomic Safety and Licensing Board adjudicatory hearings on most license applications, which include new reactors and license renewals. “This rulemaking would enable the NRC to meet these deadlines for applications even when they are the subject of hearing requests by reforming its […]

The Department of Energy has approved the preliminary safety analysis for Austin, Texas-based Aalo Atomic’s demonstration reactor under DOE’s pilot reactor program. Under the program, DOE wants to have at least three demonstration reactors reach criticality by July 4. With less than 120 days to go, Aalo becomes the fourth company to have its preliminary […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued the Bill Gates-backed nuclear reactor company TerraPower a construction permit for its Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyo. TerraPower, based in Bellevue, Wash., said in a Wednesday press release that it is the first commercial-scale advanced nuclear power plant to ever receive this permit. The company plans to convert […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 15 – 4 Wednesday morning in favor of the renomination of Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Doug Weaver. Weaver, who was confirmed by the Senate in December, was renominated by President Donald Trump on Jan. 29 to serve a new term that will expire on June 30, 2031. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has created a new Office of Advanced Reactors, as part of its reorganization. The Office of Advanced Reactors will handle licensing and oversight of new and advanced reactors, according to NRC’s Monday press release. The office will be in charge of the accelerated review of advanced reactor applications and deployment […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a hybrid informational meeting March 12 at  2 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the agency’s approach to revising its regulations and oversight processes. The March 12 meeting will be held at NRC  headquarters in Rockville, Md. and can be viewed via Microsoft Teams. It will also have a question […]

The Natrium technology of Bellevue, Wash.-based TerraPower has been accepted into the United Kingdom’s Generic Design Assessment process Feb. 19.  The Generic Design Assessment is the process used by U.K. nuclear and environmental regulators to evaluate new nuclear projects. TerraPower announced its intention to enter into the process in April 2025 and submitted the application […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued TRISO-X a special nuclear material license, allowing the company to use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) at its fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn.  TX-1 and TX-2, X-Energy’s commercial fuel facilities, are the first such facilities licensed by the NRC in 50 years, the company said last week. TX-1 […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted the first part of a Holtec International subsidiary’s construction permit application for review, according to Holtec’s Wednesday LinkedIn post. NRC said in a Feb. 13 letter it has completed the acceptance review for the permit, submitted Dec. 31 by Holtec’s SMR, LLC..  Along with the first part of […]