Through GAIN, U.S. Department of Energy — in close coordination with Nuclear Regulatory Commission — provides nuclear technology developers with regulatory framework development and licensing support. This support and its outcomes take a variety of forms and continue to evolve as technologies mature.
A few high-impact actions that have recently been completed, or are nearing completion, are listed below. If you’d like more information, contact Joe Renevitz, Regulatory Affairs Interface, at [email protected] or 208-526.1857.
DOE’s Regulatory Development Program Survey
DOE's Regulatory Development Program is conducting this survey to better understand stakeholder needs, regulatory challenges, and emerging priorities. Your feedback will help: *Prioritize regulatory development efforts *Allocate technical resources effectively *Identify capability and expertise gaps *Improve collaboration opportunities *Accelerate technology deployment and licensing efficiency *Support future regulatory modernization activities Estimated completion time: 10–15 minutes.
Regulatory Update: NRC Issues Construction Permit for the Kairos Power Hermes 2 Project
November 21, 2024 - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued construction permits for the Hermes 2 test reactor facility to Kairos Power LLC on November 21, 2024, sixteen months after receiving the construction permit application from Kairos (July 2023).
Regulatory Update: NRC Issues Construction Permit for Molten Salt Research Reactor at Abilene Christian University
September 16, 2024 - The NRC has issued a Construction Permit to Abilene Christian University (ACU) to build its Molten Salt Research Reactor (MSRR) facility on the university’s campus in Abilene, Texas. It marks the first research reactor project approved by the NRC in a number of decades. The MSRR, which will not generate electricity, will use molten salt coolant with fuel dissolved in the salt.
Regulatory Update: NRC Issues Safety Evaluation Supporting the Construction Permit Application for the Kairos Power Hermes 2 Project
July 19, 2024 - The NRC issued a safety evaluation (SE) documenting the completion of its staff's review of the construction permit application submitted by Kairos Power LLC (Kairos) on July 14, 2023. The application is for the Hermes 2 test reactor facility, which is proposed to be built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will support development of Kairos’s fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor technology.
Regulary Update: NRC Accepts Construction Permit Application for Terrapower, LLC’s Commercial Reactor in Wyoming
May 21, 2024 - The NRC formally accepted a construction permit application submitted by TerraPower, LLC , on behalf of US SFR Owner, LLC (USO), a wholly owned subsidiary of TerraPower, for the commercial Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 (Kemmerer Unit 1) to be located in Lincoln County, Wyoming.
Regulatory Update: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission endorses guidance for advanced reactor licensing – Advanced Reactor Content of Application Project (ARCAP)
March 24, 2024 - The NRC issued new guidance documents to facilitate the licensing process for non-light water reactor designs. This ARCAP guidance was developed to support near-term advanced reactor applicants under 10 CFR Part 50 and Part 52, and also support the 10 CFR Part 53 rulemaking effort. It reflects a technology-inclusive, risk-informed and performance-based structure for NRC license applications. The ARCAP encompassed the industry-led Technology-Inclusive Content of Application Project (TI-CAP) and is built on the outcome of the Licensing Modernization Project.