NRC Final Rule Lets Reactor Applicants Cite DOE, DOW Test Data
The NRC final rule adds 10 CFR 50.43(f) so reactor applicants can use DOE and Department of War demonstration data, but they must still prove it fits their design.
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The NRC's final rule on DOE and DOW reactor data; the effective date is reported by POWER Magazine and not yet confirmed.
Illustration (AI-generated)
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) finalized a rule on Oct. 22 that lets commercial reactor applicants use test data and analyses from reactors previously authorized by the Department of Energy (DOE) or the Department of War (DOW), according to POWER Magazine.
The rule amends 10 CFR Parts 50 and 53. It adds Section 50.43(f) and revises Section 53.440(a)(1), so an applicant can point to a prior federal authorization when showing that a design performs its required safety functions. POWER reports that applicants must identify how the attributes of that authorization meet NRC safety-demonstration requirements.
For developers of small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors, this is a licensing-schedule story rather than a megawatt story. Power for data centers from new nuclear depends on how fast designs clear the NRC, and the rule gives applicants a way to avoid repeating evidence that federal programs already produced. According to POWER, the NRC said it may be able to tailor the focus and depth of its review where an applicant justifies the relevance of the data.
What the NRC Final Rule Does Not Do
The NRC said the amendments do not create a separate licensing process and do not exempt anyone from existing requirements. The final rule states that nothing in it delegates NRC functions to DOE, DOW or any other agency, or lets the NRC forgo an independent review, per POWER's quotation of the text.
