The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has decided on three policy measures to enable new ways of deploying microreactors. The first decision is that a factory-fabricated microreactor loaded with fuel may be excluded from being “in operation” if it has features to preclude criticality.
The second decision is that a microreactor with features to preclude criticality may be loaded with fuel at a factory if it is done under an NRC licence that allows possession of the fuel. The third decision is that the NRC staff may apply regulations for non-power reactors to authorise testing of a microreactor at a factory before it is shipped to an operating site.
The Commission also directed the staff to continue other microreactor-related activities, such as engaging with Department of Energy (DOE)/Department of Defense (DOD) efforts to build and operate microreactors on DOE/DOD sites or as part of critical national security infrastructure. This aims to identify and implement licensing process efficiencies, consistent with the ADVANCE Act (Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024) and relevant executive orders, to streamline the transition of microreactor technology to the commercial sector.
