Emergency Planning

NRC Emergency Planning Reform Moves forward as DOE Restarts the Transient Reactor Test Facility, May Get Test Reactor Funding

By Amy Roma & Sachin Desai on November 19, 2017

Posted in Advanced Reactors, DOE, Emergency Planning, Legislation, NRC, Regulation, Testing

On Wednesday, November 15, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff published a revised and final regulatory basis document in support of its rulemaking to reform emergency planning requirements for small modular and advanced reactors, including medical isotope reactors. This rulemaking promises to significantly reduce costs for next generation nuclear plants by employing individualized, risk-informed…

Taking Another Look at Advanced Reactors’ Reliability and Resiliency

By Amy Roma & Sachin Desai on September 28, 2017

Posted in Advanced Reactors, Emergency Planning, International, Novel applications

The value of nuclear power’s reliability and resiliency are getting a closer look. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently issued a grid study calling for FERC to better value essential reliability and resiliency services performed by baseload generation, including nuclear. Recent natural disasters have also reemphasized the real value of resilience, and the role…

NRC to Hold Public Meeting on Emergency Planning for Next-Generation Reactors

By Amy Roma & Sachin Desai on May 8, 2017

Posted in Emergency Planning, NRC, Regulation

On Wednesday, May 10 from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will hold a public meeting to discuss the draft regulatory basis for its rulemaking on emergency preparedness (EP) for small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced reactors. The regulatory basis document outlines the agency’s overall approach to the rulemaking, and…