The Nuclear Regulatory Commission released new guidance Monday to smooth the way for licensing advanced reactors.
The guidance is the agency’s latest attempt to foster an industry that the Biden administration has deemed key to achieving a zero-emissions grid. The hope is that advanced small reactors could be deployed more quickly and efficiently than traditional nuclear plants.
The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy called the guidance “big news” for developers such as TerraPower and X-energy, which will now use the finalized guidance for construction permit applications to NRC.
X-energy is “pleased” that the guidance has been finalized, spokesperson Robert McEntyre said in an email. Later this year, he said, the company plans to apply for a permit to construct its Xe-100 reactor, a gas-cooled design that would produce about 80 megawatts of energy.
