Federal efforts to accelerate nuclear energy development are starting to pay off, government and industry experts say, as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission works through mandated updates to licensing processes and its mission.
The commission is responding to two actions: a 2024 law directing the NRC to develop processes that expedite the review and licensing of nuclear reactors and fuels, and a series of executive orders on nuclear energy from President Donald Trump almost a year ago, including one ordering structural and cultural changes at the NRC.
In the past month, new NRC Chairman Ho Nieh has made the rounds on the Hill and elsewhere to describe a “sea change” within the agency that he says will enable increased efficiency in nuclear energy development without losing focus on safety issues.
“Enabling is really a mindset,” Nieh told the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee on April 22. “It’s not a shortcut. It’s not a compromise. It’s just how we fulfill our safety authorities to benefit the American people.”
At the same time, Nieh said, the NRC’s new approach is about “adapting to new technologies” and “not force-fitting old technologies into old frameworks.”
