The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has finalized a rule allowing reactor license applicants to use test data and analyses from U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of War demonstration programs, marking the first major regulatory change under an executive order directing faster nuclear licensing.
The final rule amends regulations to establish a framework for using information from these federal demonstration programs in commercial reactor license applications. The NRC said the rule is designed to make reviews more efficient by allowing the agency to build on existing technical evidence while independently evaluating safety.
Applicants must still demonstrate compliance with all NRC requirements and identify any differences between a demonstration reactor and the proposed commercial project, including differences in design, site or hazards that could affect safety.
The NRC proposed the rule on April 2, 2026, and received 136 unique public comments. The final rule will take effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, expected next week.
NRC Chairman Ho K. Nieh said: "High-quality applications showing how DOE and DOW results apply to NRC requirements will help us review them more efficiently."