Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Endorses Alternative Option for Licensing Microreactors – Up & Atom

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Endorses Alternative Option for Licensing Microreactors – Up & Atom: The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) recently endorsed the NRC Staff’s proposed alternative option for licensing microreactors in a letter submitted to NRC Chairman Christopher Hanson. In brief, the licensing option endorsed by ACRS would allow a factory-fabricated microreactor to be loaded with fuel having features to preclude criticality and undergo operational testing at the factory before being transported to an installation site. If approved by the Commission, such an approach would create a lower regulatory burden commensurate with the anticipated decreased potential safety hazards posed by microreactors.