The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in the process of rescinding or revising guidance and policies posted on this webpage in accordance with Executive Order 14151 Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, and Executive Order 14168 Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. In the interim, any previously issued diversity, equity, inclusion, or gender-related guidance on this webpage should be considered rescinded that is inconsistent with these Executive Orders.

Identify a Preliminary Timeline for your Application

image of person pointing to a board with the words 'project timeline' and a chart.

The NRC staff asks prospective applicants to identify the project timeline.

The NRC uses proposed submittal dates (both pre-application and application) for budget and resource planning over the multi-year process of licensing a new nuclear reactor. Applicants should develop the approximate proposed dates, meaning to the calendar quarter and year, of the following milestones to discuss:

  • Start of pre-application activities
  • Application date
  • Reactor operation date

The NRC’s Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2020-02  requests information on scheduling application submittals. The NRC expects to reissue the request soon, to cover fiscal years 2027 and 2028. Applicants should be prepared to answer the questions contained within RIS 2020-02 for their own project.

Timelines for NRC reviews and Activities

The NRC’ standard application review timelines are on the NRC's generic schedules webpage. When the NRC staff develops a specific schedule for an application, it could differ from the generic milestones based on the specific needs of the licensee or applicant and the staff's resources. Completing pre-application activities described in Appendix A of the ARCAP Roadmap prior to application submittal can help the NRC staff establish a review several months shorter than the generic schedules, depending on the design’s complexity and other conditions (for example, avoiding significant design changes during the review).

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Monday, February 3, 2025