NRC eyes advanced reactor oversight program for new reactors

[Marlin]

NRC eyes advanced reactor oversight program for new reactors

https://www.ans.org/news/2026-10-30/article-8542/nrc-eyes-advanced-reactor-oversight-program-for-new-reactors/

[Core Content]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public meeting to discuss early plans for an Advanced Reactor Oversight Process tailored to non-light water reactors, small modular reactors, and microreactors. Agency staff plan to submit a draft policy paper on the framework to commissioners by May, following a mandate in the ADVANCE Act.

For roughly 25 years, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has used the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) to inspect and evaluate the existing fleet of operating nuclear power plants. With the likelihood there will be new nuclear power plants with reactor designs unlike those of the current fleet, the NRC is looking to adopt something similar for these...

The regulatory agency held a public meeting on Wednesday to share more about its early plans to develop an Advanced Reactor Oversight Process, or AROP. The meeting provided NRC staff an opportunity to engage the public and stakeholders about the AROP and introduce this potential addition. As of now, discussions are preliminary, and no final regulatory decisions have been made.

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-10-30/article-8542/nrc-eyes-advanced-reactor-oversight-program-for-new-reactors/