The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently finalized a new licensing framework for nuclear reactors in the United States. In a new insight, Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Shuting Pomerleau highlights the key features of the rule and explains its significance.

• While the vast majority of U.S. nuclear reactors were built between 1970 and 1990, there has recently been a renewed focus on expanding nuclear energy, with both bipartisan congressional legislation and a series of executive orders from the Trump Administration.
• Designed to address the inefficiencies of the previous process—which saw only two reactors become operational in nearly 40 years—the new NRC rule updates the approval process with broad applicability, increased flexibility, and modernized risk assessments.
• This new rule is a major milestone in U.S. history of nuclear regulatory framework, as it marks the first new reactor licensing rule in decades; this modernized process will help accelerate the deployment of next-generation reactors.

Read the analysis.