The regulatory approval
process and NuScale systems

The NuScale design is fully prepared to meet NRC licensing requirements with two distinct advantages. First, it relies on proven light water (LWR) technology. Second, it utilizes a test facility that replicates the entire system and is fully capable of meeting all NRC requirements for plant certification. 

The LWR technology used in the NuScale design is not new to the NRC, which offers huge advantages over less established technologies. For example, non-light water cooled designs pose issues for licensing such as the need to develop approved computer codes that will serve as appropriate licensing tools and the need to identify approved codes and standards necessary to permit NRC approval of the design.

In contrast, the NuScale design draws upon a vast depth of experimental data based on billions of dollars of research and development that has already been conducted on light water cooled systems.  The NRC licensing staff is familiar with light water designs like NuScale’s and the existing licensing structure is based upon light water cooled systems.

Additionally, the NRC developed the necessary analytical tools and experimental correlations for the analysis of natural circulation flows in passive safety systems through its certification of the Westinghouse AP-600 and AP-1000 designs. Several of the tests were conducted in facilities designed and built at Oregon State University by Dr. Jose Reyes, NuScale’s chief technical officer. The tests confirmed the ability to model and analyze natural circulation flow and heat transfer in light-water cooled systems. 

NuScale will use this test facility at OSU as the basis for a Design Certification program to benchmark vendor and NRC safety evaluation models, which should accelerate the review and certification process.

The Nuclear Energy Institute has published an excellent fact sheet about this process. You can download their PDF here.

NuScale status in the regulatory process

NuScale notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in January 2008 of its intent to begin the Pre-Application Review process. This process guides the preparation of the Design Certification request and the combined Construction & Operating License application (COL). 

NuScale met with the NRC in July 2008, November 2008, April 2009 and September 2009.  NuScale forecasts it will be prepared to file for Design Certification in 2012. The NRC review process is expected to take approximately three years. NRC regulations permit an applicant to file a COL while the Design Certification process is underway, so the design and review processes will proceed on parallel paths. 

The design ultimately certified by the NRC will be incorporated in the COL.  NuScale anticipates a COL filing in advance of final Design Certification in preparation of building the first NuScale facility. A benefit of the NuScale design is that it incorporates off-the-shelf components and all equipment will manufactured domestically. This will help shorten the lead-time for production dramatically.

Depending upon the amount of time the NRC requires to review the DC and COL applications, NuScale expects the first nuclear facility will be operational by 2020.