New Nuclear Resources

While there is no “regulator” for defense nuclear waste, the Department of Energy (DOE) is the federal agency responsible for the development and production of nuclear weapons, promotion of nuclear power, and other energy-related work. In addition, DOE is in charge of planning and carrying out programs for the safe handling of DOE-generated high-level waste, developing waste-disposal technologies, and for designing, constructing and operating disposal facilities for DOE-generated high-level waste and commercial spent nuclear fuel.

• Office of Environmental Management

• Office of Nuclear Energy

• Office of Science

The National Nuclear Security Administration is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and militarily effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad. NNSA’s expanded footprint goes beyond its long history of success in tritium operations to include providing the backbone of plutonium pit production and continuing to expand its plutonium disposition capabilities. NNSA serves as the landlord for many former Office of Environmental Management Sites, including the Savannah River Site (SRS).

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was created as an independent agency by Congress in 1974. NRC is responsible for licensing facilities developed for permanent disposal of high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel. NRC also regulates spent fuel pools and dry cask storage. NRC would also be responsible for licensing any reprocessing facility for commercial spent nuclear fuel. NRC also regulates spent fuel pools and dry cask storage. NRC regulates other uses of nuclear materials such as in medicine through a process involving licensing, inspection, and enforcement of its requirements.

NRC does not have licensing authority over:

• Receipt or possession of high-level waste used for or as part of DOE activities in DOE research and development facilities; DOE facilities used as short-term storage for high-level waste from DOE activities; DOE facilities used for the storage or disposal of transuranic waste, foreign high-level waste not resulting from licensed activity, and low-level waste; DOE’s decommissioned facilities (except those specified in Section 202 of the Energy Reorganization Act); and DOE’s high-level waste-processing facilities.

Many local governments around DOE’s nuclear weapons complex recognize an opportunity to work with DOE at the cleanup sites or national laboratories within their communities to support the development and demonstration of new nuclear technologies. By doing so they can help to ensure future nuclear missions, attract economic development opportunities and create new nuclear jobs. In addition, these communities can use existing assets — a highly trained workforce, extensive infrastructure, natural resources, property and location.

DOE defines small modular reactors (SMRs) as a nuclear power plant with an output of less than 300 megawatts electric. Accelerating the development of SMR designs is a high priority within DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE). The size of an SMR, approximately one-third the size of current nuclear plants, also would increase flexibility for utilities since they could add units as demand changes or use them for on-site replacement of aging fossil fuel plants. Some of the designs for SMRs use little or no water for cooling, which would reduce their environmental impact. SMRs are the right size to replace coal plants being shut because of age and inability to meet modern pollution standards.

• NuScale SMR

• BWXT SMR

DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy is responsible for research, development and deployment (RD&D) activities related to future advanced reactor concepts. These activities are designed to address technical, cost, safety and security issues associated with advanced reactor concepts and ultimately, to make nuclear energy a more competitive resource in the future.

The RD&D work is done through national laboratories and universities, as well as through partnerships with the nuclear industry. Local governments and communities interested in new nuclear missions and nuclear workforce development can benefit from understanding nuclear technologies that are being prioritized and developed for the future.

• NEI Information Page on AR

• DOE-NE Information Page on AR

• Versatile Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory

• April 2019 Congressional Research Report on Advanced Nuclear Reactors

• NARUC-NASEO Advanced Nuclear State Action Tracker

The United States currently employs an open fuel cycle in which reactor fuel is used once, removed from the reactor and sent to storage for eventual emplacement in a repository. However, when the nuclear fuel is removed from the reactor, approximately 95 percent of it is uranium and 1 percent is plutonium, both of which can be reprocessed. Reusing the nuclear fuel potentially can extend the fuel supply and result in a fivefold decrease in the volume of the waste and a tenfold reduction in its toxicity.

• DOE-NE Fuel Cycle Technologies Information Page

• DOE-NE “5 Fast Facts about SNF”

By definition, high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) is enriched between 5% and 20% and is required for most U.S. advanced reactors to achieve smaller designs that get more power per unit of volume. HALEU will also allow developers to optimize their systems for longer life cores, increased efficiencies and better fuel utilization.

In August 2019, Department of Energy announced $6.5 million in funding for 15 awards to advance isotope research, development, and production. Isotopes for medical and industrial use are just two examples of how influential technological developments can be within the nuclear complex. The current awards include seven universities and six DOE national laboratories, with several of the universities and national laboratories working in collaboration. 

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is the policy organization of the nuclear technologies industry, based in Washington, D.C. NEI's members include companies that own or operate nuclear power plants, reactor designers and advanced technology companies, architect and engineering firms, fuel suppliers and service companies, consulting services and manufacturing companies, companies involved in nuclear medicine and nuclear industrial applications, radionuclide and radiopharmaceutical companies, universities and research laboratories, law firms, labor unions and international electric utilities.

The Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy has established the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) as a resource to distribute information to the nuclear community including the technical, regulatory, and financial aspects of the nuclear industry. The site hosts several educational materials about how to advance the developments of nuclear technologies toward commercial readiness. The GAIN initiative overview can be viewed here.

Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is pursuing Advanced Nuclear Technologies to address the need to decarbonize the world energy system. CATF is working with the private sector and academic partners to lower the cost of nuclear technology development and increasing the speed at which the technologies deploy.

Third Way is a national think tank out of Washington, DC. Third Way is creating an entirely new policy discussion around advanced nuclear technology. Third Way has a great collection of resources ranging from advanced nuclear to innovation, existing nuclear, and energy systems.