Energetics worked with the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy and several national laboratories to develop a strategy for licensing the NGNP, a prototype gas reactor that will be used to generate both electricity and hydrogen.
Client Need
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58) (EPAct), Title VI, Subtitle C, Section 644, required the Secretary of Energy and the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to jointly submit to Congress, within 3 years of enactment of the EPAct, a licensing strategy for the prototype NGNP).
Solution
A DOE and NRC working group was formed to develop the licensing strategy, conducting an in-depth analysis of the light water reactor (LWR) licensing process and technical requirements options.
The resulting report addresses four elements of the licensing strategy set forth in Section 644(b) of the EPAct:
- a description of the ways in which current light water reactor licensing requirements need to be adapted for the types of reactors considered for the project
- a description of the analytical tools that the NRC will need to independently verify the NGNP design and its safety performance
- a description of other research or development activities that the NRC will need to review an NGNP license application
- a budget estimate associated with the licensing strategy
Results
Based on the detailed analysis, the Secretary of Energy and the NRC Chairman concluded that the best alternative for licensing the NGNP prototype is for the applicant to submit a combined license (COL) application under Title 10, Part 52 “Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants,” of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 52). The report was submitted to Congress as required.