Regulatory Activities
The NRC staff has identified a series of planned enhancements to support microreactor licensing and provide additional regulatory clarity. Interactions with various stakeholders informed these enhancements. The NRC staff is prioritizing the various enhancements from near term to longer term and ensuring that potential policy issues are identified for resolution.
The staff generated the Integrated Microreactor Activities Plan (ML25225A024), to provide a comprehensive view of microreactor licensing and regulatory topics. The plan includes actions the staff identified to enhance the flexibility of the regulatory framework to support the diverse technologies and deployment models being considered by microreactor developers and potential applicants. Subsequently, as directed by Executive Order (EO) 14300 Section 5(e), staff began developing a proposed rule to address licensing requirements for microreactors and other low consequence reactors, as discussed in the public meetings held on July 14, July 17 and July 18, 2025. Information related to staff considerations for the rule can be found with the meeting notices. The staff is using the Microreactor Activities Plan to inform the rulemaking effort and going forward, updates to microreactor activities will be made through the other avenues (such as the rulemaking) in lieu of the above Activities Plan.
The staff’s planned actions also align with Section 208 of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (the ADVANCE Act), which directs the NRC to develop and implement risk-informed and performance-based strategies and guidance to license and regulate microreactors in eight topical areas: (1) staffing and operations, (2) oversight and inspections, (3) security and safeguards, (4) emergency preparedness, (5) risk analysis methods, (6) decommissioning funding assurance, (7) transportation of fueled microreactors, and (8) siting. The staff’s plan also includes the topics, (9) regulatory processes, (10) licensing, and (11) fees. More information can be found on the ADVANCE Act page.
The NRC staff will continue to assess further potential enhancements to the regulatory framework for microreactors as technologies and deployment models evolve. The staff continues to be receptive to feedback from stakeholders and other interested parties regarding the licensing and deployment topics listed in the integrated microreactor activities plan.