Success Story

There is considerable interest on the part of the U.S. Government to support the economic viability of emerging advanced reactor technologies. But for these reactors to be successful in domestic and international markets, the U.S. must reconsider regulatory requirements that were initially developed for the existing U.S. fleet of large light water reactors.

Through a collaborative partnership with Sandia National Laboratories, Idaho National Laboratories, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratories, USA Nuclear guided efforts to secure Federal funding to develop the Tracer FIRE program.

Decommissioning is the process by which nuclear power plants are retired from service and terminate the operating licenses they’d been granted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. To ensure that decommissioning is safe and environmentally sound, the NRC has established clear regulations and associated guidance outlining the requirements and processes companies must follow. This decommissioning process facilitates participation by state and local authorities at several points along the way.