The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved “new alternative emergency preparedness requirements for small modular reactors and other new technologies”.
The approval helps simplify the regulated ranges of emergency planning zones for nuclear reactors — with a particular impact on SMRs which, due to their potentially smaller size, should have a small range and therefore less regulatory hurdles before approval and construction.
The final rule publication date had been extended numerous times, despite public pressure from five pro-nuclear groups. They have now welcomed the approval.
“The commission acted quickly on our request to finalize this long-delayed rule. Now is the time to keep the momentum and finalize other rules that have been waiting for direction from the commission”
— Adam Stein, Director for Nuclear Energy Innovation at Breakthrough
The new rules are important, as — despite the delays and need for stream-lining and approval of more regulation (for example, the NRC is under instructions from Congress to develop a simplified licensing rule for advanced reactors) — they highlight the forward momentum in the accelerating growth of the US nuclear industry.
Uranium is at the start of a 10-year bull market, according to our new report. The Oregon Group forecasts the uranium market will be positively impacted by a large net increase in global nuclear reactors, which require uranium as fuel.