Is NRC paying attention to SMR issues?
The short answer is yes. The ANS white papers are making their way to the NRC via the NEI working group. Also, in a speech at the Platts Small Reactors Conference held June 28, new NRC Commissioner William C. Ostendorff (right) said three key SMR issues have his attention. Here are a few highlights. Note that he calls for well thought out and technically justified proposals from the industry to help the NRC address the licensing challenges for SMRs. He wants specifics. “The first example relates to control rooms. Some of the vendors are seeking changes in control room staffing levels, where one operator would handle up to three modules. While this may be a good business model, there are important technical and safety issues that need to be addressed before seeking to change the requirements in the regulations. We also need to see the control room design and the interface with human factors considerations. We need to understand the accident scenarios that would require operator action a
