WASHINGTON, Oct 22 - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has adopted a final rule permitting companies to include analyses, data and information from reactor demonstration projects conducted at federal agencies as part of their applications to the NRC.
The agency said the modification is aimed at supporting what it expects will be a wave of filings for advanced reactor technologies, such as small modular reactors, by allowing firms to rely in part on work performed at the U.S. Energy and Defense Departments.
The change follows directives from the White House. President Donald Trump issued orders in May 2025 instructing the NRC to complete approvals for new reactor designs within an 18-month timeframe. Those orders prompted criticism that the administration was weakening the NRC's independence.
The NRC stressed that its oversight responsibilities remain unchanged. The agency monitors radioactive fuels at all stages and is responsible for ensuring the safety of nuclear reactors. In announcing the rule, NRC Chairman Ho Nieh said the new approach would not dilute the agency's standards.
"This is not a shortcut, this is not a compromise," Nieh told reporters, underscoring that the availability of federal demonstration project data does not provide an alternative to NRC scrutiny.
Chairman Nieh also noted that NRC evaluations in some areas could become more demanding. He singled out "consequence analysis" - assessments that estimate potential offsite radiological, health or economic impacts from severe reactor accidents - as a topic where the agency's review might be more stringent. Nieh also referenced analyses of hazards from natural events such as earthquakes or tornadoes as areas subject to rigorous NRC examination.
Not all stakeholders welcomed the move. Nuclear safety activist and physicist Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists said it is essential that the NRC retain its authority to make independent safety and security determinations rather than simply echoing decisions made by other agencies.
"For all their flaws, the NRC’s licensing procedures are far more rigorous and transparent" than those used by the energy and defense departments, Lyman said.
This rule marks the first significant revision to reactor regulations since the presidential orders pushing for faster agency reviews were issued. The NRC framed the update as a procedural accommodation to facilitate use of existing federal demonstration data while reaffirming that applicants must still meet the commission's regulatory expectations.
How broadly applicants will rely on demonstration project materials, and whether that reliance will change the scope or pace of NRC decision-making, remains to be seen within the bounds of the agency's continued oversight responsibilities.