Resources Archive

Interest in deploying new nuclear reactors in the U.S. is increasing as more stakeholders recognize the critical role that nuclear energy must play in order to reduce carbon emissions. Today, nuclear energy accounts for almost 20% of the U.S. electricity generation, and, when viewed as part of a clean energy portfolio, nuclear energy produces over 50% of the zero-carbon emissions electricity. Nuclear energy is firm dispatchable energy that can operate 24/7, making nuclear, renewables and storage resources the perfect partners to achieve zero to very low carbon emissions. The purpose of this report is to compile and describe the construction best practices that will reduce construction risk and better enable projects to be built on-time and on-budget. There have been over 100 documents over the past several decades that have identified the lessons learned from past nuclear reactor construction projects. While many of these reports identify similar lessons learned, they also contain lessons that are not identified in other reports. Therefore, we used industry expertise to synthesizes the 32 most relevant documents and establish the top strategic project management lessons learned and best practices that experience shows have been key in the successful execution of large complex projects. Documented in this report are the following fourteen (14) areas of construction best practices required for the successful completion of a new nuclear reactor project. Within these 14 areas, a total of 59 key construction best practices are identified and described.

Recommendations for Streamlining Environmental Reviews for Advanced Reactors

The U.S. nuclear power industry has consistently improved performance over the past 20 years. This performance manifests itself in many dimensions, including worker safety, public safety and plant reliability. There are many factors influencing this improvement including the cultivation of a strong safety and reliability culture by utilities, a strong independent nuclear regulator in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent industry excellence organization in the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators (INPO), and the NRC’s adoption of a risk-informed safety focus. Over the past 20 years, improving plant performance has been coupled with the enhanced safety focus provided by a risk-informed approach that focuses resources on the most safety significant issues. Today, the U.S. nuclear industry is performing at the highest levels of safety and reliability in the world. NEI has collected all the relevant individual and aggregate performance indicators available from public sources, including NRC and INPO, spanning the past several decades. The purpose of this report is to illuminate the performance improvements achieved and demonstrate the connection between this improved performance and safety.

Micro-reactors are very small nuclear reactors that are well suited to serve the power needs for markets that currently do not have access to clean, reliable, resilient and affordable energy, including remote areas and micro-grids. Micro-reactor technology and designs are rapidly maturing and the first micro-reactor applications are expected to be submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2020. The purpose of this report is to discuss changes in the way micro-reactors are licensed and regulated. This also identifies the need to address several policy and technical issues. Timely NRC consideration and feedback on the policy and technical issues associated with a performance-based, consequence-oriented regulatory framework is needed to inform design of micro reactors as well as business decisions affecting licensing and certification of micro-reactors over the next few years.

NEI’s Principles for Clean Energy Policies demonstrate the measures necessary to provide a technology-neutral solution to climate change.

In a recent report, the Global Nexus Initiative concluded that the three main advanced reactor technology types can be safeguarded by the International Atomic Energy Agency to prevent proliferation.

Roadmap for Regulatory Acceptance of Advanced Manufacturing Methods in the Nuclear Energy Industry

Micro-reactors can be cost competitive for remote applications such as arctic communities, islands, mines, and defense installations.

This report identifies the timeline, major challenges and recommended actions to ensure successful deployment of the first micro-reactor at a U.S. Department of Defense domestic installation.

This white paper provides an assessment of Part 52 construction experience to date. It concludes that adjustments can and should be made to optimize the change process and provide the flexibility licensees need to construct new nuclear plants. This would allow for changes that are expected and inevitable in such large and complex projects.

The study, ‘The Market Impact of Proposed U.S. Uranium Import Quotas on the U.S. Nuclear Power Industry,’ produced by the NorthBridge Group, suggests that a proposed quota would impose an additional $500 to $800 million per year costs on U.S. nuclear power generators.

NEI commissioned ICF to perform an analysis of how energy infrastructure disruptions in PJM, combined with continued nuclear power plant retirements, would impact system resiliency. NEI specified the scenarios for the analysis and the key assumptions for those scenarios. The results of this analysis show nuclear power’s critical role in providing a reliable and resilient supply of electricity.