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TH21 Shortening the Half-Life of Advanced Fuel Deployment in Light Water Reactors

The commercial nuclear power industry is primed to take advantage of new fuel materials and analytical techniques to license accident tolerant fuel, increased enrichment, and higher burnup fuel to increase the total supply of electricity from existing nuclear plants. Licensees have established goals of implementing these advancements within a time frame that will allow them to take advantage of tax credits (e.g., the Inflation Reduction Act). In parallel, the NRC has been given direction via the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Energy (ADVANCE) Act to improve licensing efficiencies and coordinate with other organizations to facilitate the use of advanced fuel technologies. This forum provides an opportunity for the NRC, U.S. Department of Energy, and industry stakeholders to discuss specific activities that they are conducting to meet this common goal, both in the near term and the long run (e.g., NextGen fuel). In addition, an international regulator is being invited to share its perspectives based on its own experience with licensing new fuel technologies within a different regulatory framework.


 
SESSION CHAIR(S):
 
  • Matthew J. Marzano, Commissioner, NRC
  • Theresa Clark, Director, Division of Safety Systems, NRR/NRC
 
SPEAKER(S):
 
  • Opening Remarks
    Matthew J. Marzano, Commissioner, NRC
  • Opening Remarks
    Theresa Clark, Director, Division of Safety Systems, NRR/NRC
  • Facilitating Reviews of Licensing Applications for Advanced Nuclear Fuel in Light-Water Reactors
    Joseph Messina, Reactor Systems Engineer, Nuclear Methods and Fuel Analysis Branch, Division of Safety Systems, NRR/NRC
  • Data Driven Methodologies for Accelerating Nuclear Fuel Technology Development and Deployment
    Daniel Wachs, National Technical Director for the Advanced Fuel Campaign, Idaho National Laboratory
  • Enhanced Nuclear Fuel for Today and the Future
    Cheryl Gayheart, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Southern Nuclear Company
  • Safety Review Plans for Licensing ATF/LEU+/High BU Fuels in Korea
    Joosuk Lee, Senior Advisor, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety
 
SESSION COORDINATOR(S):
 
  • Scott Krepel, Chief, Nuclear Methods and Fuel Analysis Branch, Division of Safety Systems, NRR/NRC e-mail: Scott.Krepel@nrc.gov
  • April Thomas, Technical Assistant, Division of Safety Systems, NRR/NRC e-mail: April.Thomas@nrc.gov

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, May 22, 2025