Advance Act Seen as Crucial to Building New Reactors
Posted on June 20, 2024 by djysrv
- NEI – Advance Act Seen as Crucial to Building New Reactors
- Quick Summary of the ADVANCE Act
- ANS Applauds Passage of Bipartisan ADVANCE Act
- Hanson Sworn in for 2nd Term as NRC Chair
NEI – Advance Act Seen as Crucial to Building New Reactors
- US / Nuclear Industry Welcomes Bipartisan Legislation, Says More Work Needs To Be Done At NRC
Korsnick said in a statement the Advance Act, which will now go to president Joe Biden for a signature to become law after passing the Senate by 88-2 votes, will help the US meet its climate and national energy security goals.
“The passage of the Advance Act allows us to bolster US international competitiveness at this crucial junction, accelerate the domestic deployments of innovative advanced nuclear technologies, and modernize the oversight and licensing of the operating fleet of reactors.”
She said the bill will support efforts to further modernize the NRC as it prepares to review an ever-increasing number of applications for subsequent license renewals, power uprates and next generation nuclear deployments. But she added, “there is more work to be done”.
The bill, a compromise between the Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, brings together a number of lawmakers’ nuclear energy goals.
It covers a range of areas seen as critical to new build and energy security, including reducing regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies, and requiring the NRC to develop plans for the licensing of microreactors and nuclear facilities at brownfield and retired fossil-fuel energy generation sites.
The legislation is designed to allow for more nuclear power to be built throughout the country and make it quicker and less expensive to build them.
A lot depends on funding for the NRC through the congressional appropriations process. The agency is currently preparing its FY2025 budget request. Funds to implement the legislation won’t be available until sometime in 2025 depending on when the legislation containing funds for the NRC is enacted and signed by the president.
Key Areas For Change At NRC
The legislation addresses key areas for change at the NRC in the face of some criticism that it is not prepared for the workload of licensing a new generation of reactors.
It calls for the NRC to issue decision on reviews of combined license applications within 25 months of docketing and says that within three years, it should implement a process to license microreactors. Also, the legislation says the NRC should issue a report to Congress on streamlining environmental reviews.
House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodger said in a joint statement with other committee members that this much needed modernization of the nuclear regulatory framework will help achieve investment in baseload power by enabling industry to deploy safe, reliable nuclear energy.
The Advance Act “will strengthen America’s leadership on nuclear energy and provide climate leadership on the world stage,” senator Tom Carper, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and one of the bill’s architects, said on the Senate floor on Tuesday.
“The United States will now be able to realize the potential of this carbon-free energy source,” he said.
Another key area addressed by the legislation is strengthening the US’s nuclear energy fuel cycle and supply chain infrastructure. The legislation calls on the NRC to improve its ability to qualify and license accident-tolerant fuels and advanced nuclear fuels that can increase safety and economic competitiveness for existing reactors and the next generation of advanced reactors.
Quick Summary of the ADVANCE Act
- Facilitate American Nuclear Energy Leadership by:
Empowering the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to lead in international forums to develop regulations for advanced nuclear reactors.
Directing the Department of Energy to improve its process for approving the export of American technology to international markets, while maintaining strong standards for nuclear non-proliferation.
- Support Development and Deployment of New Nuclear Energy Technologies by:
Reducing regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies.
Creating a prize to incentivize the successful deployment of next-generation reactor technologies.
Requiring the NRC to develop a pathway to enable the timely licensing of microreactors and nuclear facilities at brownfield and retired fossil-fuel energy generation sites.
- Strengthen America’s Nuclear Energy Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain Infrastructure by:
Directing the NRC to enhance its ability to qualify and license accident-tolerant fuels and advanced nuclear fuels that can increase safety and economic competitiveness for existing reactors and the next generation of advanced reactors.
Tasking the NRC to evaluate advanced manufacturing techniques to build nuclear reactors better, faster, cheaper and smarter.
- Improve Commission Efficiency by:
Providing flexibility for the NRC to better manage and invest its resources in activities that support NRC’s modernization efforts and address staffing issues.
Providing the NRC Chair the tools to hire and retain exceptionally well-qualified individuals to successfully and safely review and process applications for advanced nuclear reactor licenses.
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American Nuclear Society Applauds Passage of Bipartisan ADVANCE Act
The American Nuclear Society (ANS) CEO and Executive Director Craig Piercy issued the following statement on the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act:
“On behalf of America’s nuclear professional community, we applaud Congress for passing the bipartisan ADVANCE Act to boost the development and deployment of advanced nuclear energy.
We have witnessed historic levels of public and private investments in new nuclear energy technologies, that are essential to reducing emissions and ensuring the reliability and resiliency of our energy grid. However, successful commercial development of these technologies will require a modernized system of licensing and regulation.
The ADVANCE Act will give regulators new tools to accelerate the licensing of next-generation nuclear technologies while reducing regulatory costs and hurdles.”
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Hanson Sworn in for 2nd Term as NRC Chair
Christopher T. Hanson, nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, was sworn in on 06/18/24 by General Counsel Brooke Clark for a second term. He was first sworn in as an NRC Commissioner in June 2020 and designated as NRC Chair in January 2021. His new term expires June 30, 2029.
“I am honored to have been re-nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to continue leading the NRC at this critical time,” said Hanson. “We have many challenges ahead, and I am convinced that by building confidence and trust inside the agency, safeguarding confidence and trust outside the agency, and maintaining our independence, we’ll continue to meet every aspect of our important mission.”
During Hanson’s tenure as Chair, the agency developed a technology-inclusive framework to license new and advanced reactors and for regulating fusion energy systems, licensed the first non-light water reactor in the United States in over 50 years, efficiently oversaw the addition of 2500 MW of new nuclear generation at the Vogtle plant in Georgia, and strengthened its U.S. leadership role abroad.
“I look forward to building on the successes of recent years as the agency embraces a culture of trust and confidence and as we become even more efficient and effective in applying risk-information in our licensing reviews and decisions,” said Hanson.
The NRC is comprised of five Commissioners, one of whom is designated by the President as Chair. The Commission was established to be a collegial body that formulates policies, develops regulations, issues orders to licensees and adjudicates legal matters. The Commissioners serve five-year terms, with one term expiring every year on June 30. No more than three Commissioners may be of the same political party.
Hanson has more than two decades of government and private-sector experience in the nuclear sector. Prior to joining the NRC, he served as a staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he oversaw civilian and national security nuclear programs. Previously, Hanson also served in the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy and in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining DOE, he served as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he led multiple engagements for government and industry in the energy sector.
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