On Friday, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Nuclear Initiative called together senior leaders within the government’s civilian nuclear programs to highlight the challenges and potential of small modular reactors as the Department of Energy prepares to support further development of the technology.
The event, led by former New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici, featured presentations by leaders within DOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Tennessee Valley Authority. They addressed DOE’s SMR programs, including an initiative to create a government and industry cost-sharing program. They also examined challenges facing the technology, including capital costs, licensing and regulatory uncertainty.
Peter B. Lyons, DOE’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy, said his agency’s SMR Licensing Technical Support program is working toward commercial development of SMRs. The program’s proposed budget is $452 million over five years, with the goal of helping industry achieve design certification for two SMR designs.
TVA COO Bill McCollum also described his agency’s partnership with Babcock & Wilcox's mPower to explore potential deployment of its SMR design.