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As nuclear technologies diversify including small modular reactors, floating reactors, new fuels and markets, regulation must evolve to support innovation, a panel at World Nuclear Symposium agreed.
King Lee is the head of Policy and Industry Engagement at World Nuclear Association. He moderated a panel at the Symposium. In his opening, he said that nuclear was expanding with new applications in sectors including marine, petrochemical, and the generation of synthetic fuel. “This places new demands on the existing regulatory framework. We, at World Nuclear Association, under the CORDEL [Cooperation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licensing] Working Group, have been working and cooperating with various stakeholders on streamlining and international harmonization to accelerate nuclear application across multiple jurisdictions to avoid duplication, delay, and fragmentation, while supporting standardized design to reduce cost and facilitate global supply chain. Now we’re seeing policymakers taking actions and looking to streamline the regulatory process.”
Michelle Catts is the Senior Vice President, Nuclear Programs at GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy. She said that new nuclear technologies and their new applications “are really placing pressure on regulatory systems that were made for another era. She added, “To capture this moment, the regulators and the industry need to work together to transform together, streamline where it makes sense, embrace innovation, and align internationally so we can deploy nuclear faster, safely, and at scale.”
She mentioned the BWRX-300 which is a three hundred megawatt water-cooled, natural circulation small modular reactor (SMR) with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s fifteen hundred megawatt ESBWR boiling water reactor. The first BWRX-300 is currently under construction at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site in Ontario, Canada.
Catts added, “When vendors make smart choices in their designs, it can really help ease the review by regulators. It can streamline and make the reviews more efficient and more proportional for small modular reactors while still meeting the highest safety standards. Around the world, regulators are already showing confidence in this approach.”
Baroness Charlotte Vere, Group Head Market Development at Core Power. On the subject of floating nuclear power plants and nuclear-propelled ships, she said, “There is no doubt that nuclear for maritime will be part of the future. The question is how, the question is where, and the question is when.”
However, Vere noted that regulating nuclear for maritime falls under both the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This could be an issue if one “is doing this, and one is doing that. My concern is that they’ll look at each other and go, oh no, they don’t match up. So we’ve got to get alignment between those different UN agencies”.
She noted that the IMO recently decided to revise the safety code on nuclear merchant ships. The current rules have been in effect since 1981.
Pete Bryant is CEO of World Nuclear Transport Institute CEO. He added, “Regulation cannot be tied to process. It also cannot be tied to an attitude of ‘we’ve always done it this way’. It must be outcome-focused, it must be science-based, but it must be agile. So this is not just about technology – this is about sustainable development, this is about societal benefit. And it’s about public confidence.”
He urged for greater collaboration between industry, regulators and also the science. “We must build upon a common goal, wider than just safety. A common goal could be tackling climate change; it could be enabling the UN sustainability development goals. But we must ensure proportionate, outcome-focused approaches and show that safety, security, innovation and sustainability can reinforce each other.
Byant continued, “Regulation is not just rules, it is not just process. It’s the foundation of public confidence, it’s the enabler of innovation, and it’s the key to nuclear’s role in a sustainable future. And if we work together, regulation won’t just keep up with the pace of change, it will help drive it for the benefit of society.”
Please read Part 2 next