The Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission have recently updated a 2019 memorandum of understanding to better coordinate the review of advanced nuclear energy reactor technologies.
The document, drafted in October and made public this month, seeks to balance DOE’s traditional role in researching and promoting nuclear energy with NRC’s traditional role as a regulator.
“This addendum to the MOU does not alter the authority or independence of the parties or their abilities to fulfill their respective responsibilities,” according to the document.
“The primary purpose of this addendum to the MOU is to coordinate DOE and NRC technical readiness and sharing of technical expertise and knowledge on advanced nuclear reactor and advanced reactor fuel technologies,” according to the Nov. 3 MOU addendum.
The original 2019 MOU on nuclear energy innovation between the agencies focused on sharing technical readiness and knowledge on advanced reactor technologies. The addendum, signed Oct. 24 and published Nov. 3, comes to implement President Donald Trump administration’s May 23 nuclear-related executive orders.
The 2019 document, during the first Donald Trump administration, was four pages long. The new version is seven pages long.
The DOE Office of Nuclear Energy will lead in overseeing the review and approval of DOE’s authorization of the nuclear facilities. While NRC will be responsible for licensing advanced reactors and supporting DOE in its reviews. The nuclear regulator will also provide technical expertise, according to the addendum.
DOE has the final word over the development projects and NRC has control over commercial reactor licensing, according to an NRC spokesperson.
The projects will be authorized by DOE, in alignment with its pilot programs. Industry will leverage information from these demonstrations as they adjust their designs and develop NRC licensing applications, the NRC spokesperson added.
“The NRC will be able to credit appropriate information from the DOE projects in confirming that the NRC’s safety regulations are met,” an NRC spokesperson said in a Friday statement to Exchange Monitor. “Any commercial nuclear power plant applications must still meet NRC regulations.”
Under the addendum, DOE and NRC will coordinate various activities:
- NRC will establish an “expedited pathway” to approve advanced reactor designs that have been authorized and tested by DOE.
- NRC will also set up quicker ways to approve nuclear fuel line facilities that have been authorized and tested by DOE.
- DOE and NRC will share information, as necessary, regarding the use of computers and software codes to calculate the performance of nuclear reactors based on mathematical models.
- DOE maintains and develops the facilities needed to enable research, demonstration and commercial application by the nuclear industry of innovative reactor technology.
The addendum will be implemented by DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Office of Nuclear Reactors on DOE’s side and through NRC’s Office of Nuclear Regulatory Regulation on NRC’s side.