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Once you realize the goal of NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) is to prevent Nuclear power plants to be built in USA, there is not much hope. This is not my o

Once you realize the goal of NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) is to prevent Nuclear power plants to be built in USA, there is not much hope. This is not my opinion, said by people who work at the NRC. We need executive action that disemminates the bureaucracy and unleashes nuclear power in United States. If you want to follow what's going on in the nuclear industry, Titans of Nuclear is excellent and has interviewed over 200 nuclear experts from DoE, NRC, etc.: https://www.titansofnuclear.com/ https://www.titansofnuclear.com/

credit_guy 4y ago
Nice conspiracy theory there. As a guy who is instinctively against conspiracy theories, allow me to bring arguments against this one. First, we live in a country of laws. NRC follows the laws, not because it has noble intentions, but because it is not an actual organism, but a collection of people, and individually people don't like to break the law. People will just try to do their job, and if they don't see an explicit (i.e. written) mandate somewhere that they need to prevent nuclear power plants from being built, then they won't do it. Second, if they really wanted to do that, they would have kept the way they were doing business in the 70s. But they worked hard to come up with an approval process based on probabilistic risk assessment [1]. It took them 13 years to build this framework (between 1994 and 2007). In the old framework, if some undesirable event was possible, then the approval would not come, even if the probability of that event was one in one quadrillion. That was the absolutely perfect framework to shut down an industry. Why did they move away from it? Third, they just gave NuScale an approval for their small modular reactor design. You can find all the papers related to the approval here [2]. NuScale provided 12000 pages of documents as part of their application, plus 2 million more pages as supporting evidence for the NRC audits. It took them 2 million man-hours of effort over about 7 years to get this approval. Now, take a look at communication between NRC and NuScale during the approval process [3]: For Chapter 15, there are numerous unresolved issues without a mutually understood and clearly defined path toward resolution at this time. These issues are related to the underlying methodologies used in the NuScale design basis accident analyses, the thermal-hydraulic and neutronic phenomena modeled in the analyses for long-term cooling and post-shutdown return to power, and recent changes to the NRELAP5 design basis accident analysis tool and supporting input models. Related to Chapters 3 and 15, NuScale submitted a letter dated December 14, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18351A145), discussing the application of the single failure criterion to the inadvertent actuation block valve. On April 11, 2019, the NRC staff issued SECY-19-0036, “Application of the Single Failure Criterion to NuScale Power, LLC's Inadvertent Actuation Block Valves” (ADAMS Accession No. ML19060A162), requesting Commission direction. Once the Commission provides direction on this policy matter, or sooner, NuScale and the staff will need to act promptly to bring the issue to closure. For each of these issues, the NRC staff and NuScale continue to engage to reach alignment on a clear path toward resolution. The NRC staff expects NuScale to submit its responses by mid-June to support resolution of the Chapter 15 issues. If NRC wanted to not give an approval, this statement would be the exact place to start shutting the door in NuScale's face. If they said NuScale did not address their concerns regarding the "single failure criterion to the inadvertent actuation block valve", who was NuScale going to appeal to? So, no, sorry, I don't buy your conspiracy theory. [1] https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/risk-informed/history.html https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/risk-informed/histo... [2] https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/smr/licensing-activities/nuscale/documents.html https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/smr/licensing-acti... [3] https://www.nuscalepower.com/newsletter/nucleus-fall-2020/program-development-update https://www.nuscalepower.com/newsletter/nucleus-fall-2020/pr...
- systemvoltage 4y ago
  It has nothing to do with Nuscale. NRC was the outcome of 70's environmental movement that has strangled energy policies and essentially made sure no new nuclear power plant designs get built. It was established right after EPA and has grown exponentially to completely destroy nuclear energy industry. I have watched hundreds of hours of interviews with nuclear experts, this is essentially not a conspiracy, just facts. NRC hasn't allowed a single new nuclear power plant design for over 40 years. A complete chokehold on the industry that was already facing issues as explained in this presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb7tAwNIvUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb7tAwNIvUs > The NRC (from 1974-2022) has certified six other designs: the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor, System 80+, AP600, AP1000, the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor and the APR1400. Designs for original pressure water reactors and the boiler water reactors were all approved under the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) which ran from 1946 to 1974. After the AEC was replaced by the NRC, the approval of new nuclear reactor designs ground to a near halt. Basically, NRC hasn't certified any new designs since AEC. Tell me how is this a conspiracy theory!? NRC's role, just from empirical examinination appears to be a roadblock, not a regulatory agency for the good and the service of the people. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2022/08/nuclear-regulatory-commission-has-nearly-frozen-nuclear-designs-for-48-years.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2022/08/nuclear-regulatory-com...
  - qualudeheart 4y ago
    What about the approval of Nuscale’s reactor?
    - systemvoltage 4y ago
      I think there were issues in the initial 2016 proposal, some were corrected in the subsequent proposals. Just the fact that it has taken some 12000 page application and we're in the 7th year of this process tells you what you need to know. The entire industry is fucked and the only the way to move forward to abolish NRC, start a new agency that resembles AEC from 1940-1970. Perhaps the next president will.
addicted 4y ago
And the NRC has global powers which is why nuclear was barely being built anywhere else in the world other China, and projects in other countries weee collapsing until the were bailed out by the Chinese, like in the UK.
- Georgelemental 4y ago
  Other Western nations mostly have similar regulatory issues. South Korea, which doesn't, builds its nuclear plants on time and on budget

credit_guy 4y ago

Nice conspiracy theory there. As a guy who is instinctively against conspiracy theories, allow me to bring arguments against this one. First, we live in a country of laws. NRC follows the laws, not because it has noble intentions, but because it is not an actual organism, but a collection of people, and individually people don't like to break the law. People will just try to do their job, and if they don't see an explicit (i.e. written) mandate somewhere that they need to prevent nuclear power plants from being built, then they won't do it. Second, if they really wanted to do that, they would have kept the way they were doing business in the 70s. But they worked hard to come up with an approval process based on probabilistic risk assessment [1]. It took them 13 years to build this framework (between 1994 and 2007). In the old framework, if some undesirable event was possible, then the approval would not come, even if the probability of that event was one in one quadrillion. That was the absolutely perfect framework to shut down an industry. Why did they move away from it? Third, they just gave NuScale an approval for their small modular reactor design. You can find all the papers related to the approval here [2]. NuScale provided 12000 pages of documents as part of their application, plus 2 million more pages as supporting evidence for the NRC audits. It took them 2 million man-hours of effort over about 7 years to get this approval. Now, take a look at communication between NRC and NuScale during the approval process [3]: For Chapter 15, there are numerous unresolved issues without a mutually understood and clearly defined path toward resolution at this time. These issues are related to the underlying methodologies used in the NuScale design basis accident analyses, the thermal-hydraulic and neutronic phenomena modeled in the analyses for long-term cooling and post-shutdown return to power, and recent changes to the NRELAP5 design basis accident analysis tool and supporting input models. Related to Chapters 3 and 15, NuScale submitted a letter dated December 14, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18351A145), discussing the application of the single failure criterion to the inadvertent actuation block valve. On April 11, 2019, the NRC staff issued SECY-19-0036, “Application of the Single Failure Criterion to NuScale Power, LLC's Inadvertent Actuation Block Valves” (ADAMS Accession No. ML19060A162), requesting Commission direction. Once the Commission provides direction on this policy matter, or sooner, NuScale and the staff will need to act promptly to bring the issue to closure. For each of these issues, the NRC staff and NuScale continue to engage to reach alignment on a clear path toward resolution. The NRC staff expects NuScale to submit its responses by mid-June to support resolution of the Chapter 15 issues. If NRC wanted to not give an approval, this statement would be the exact place to start shutting the door in NuScale's face. If they said NuScale did not address their concerns regarding the "single failure criterion to the inadvertent actuation block valve", who was NuScale going to appeal to? So, no, sorry, I don't buy your conspiracy theory. [1] https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/risk-informed/history.html https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/risk-informed/histo... [2] https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/smr/licensing-activities/nuscale/documents.html https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/smr/licensing-acti... [3] https://www.nuscalepower.com/newsletter/nucleus-fall-2020/program-development-update https://www.nuscalepower.com/newsletter/nucleus-fall-2020/pr...

systemvoltage 4y ago
It has nothing to do with Nuscale. NRC was the outcome of 70's environmental movement that has strangled energy policies and essentially made sure no new nuclear power plant designs get built. It was established right after EPA and has grown exponentially to completely destroy nuclear energy industry. I have watched hundreds of hours of interviews with nuclear experts, this is essentially not a conspiracy, just facts. NRC hasn't allowed a single new nuclear power plant design for over 40 years. A complete chokehold on the industry that was already facing issues as explained in this presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb7tAwNIvUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb7tAwNIvUs > The NRC (from 1974-2022) has certified six other designs: the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor, System 80+, AP600, AP1000, the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor and the APR1400. Designs for original pressure water reactors and the boiler water reactors were all approved under the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) which ran from 1946 to 1974. After the AEC was replaced by the NRC, the approval of new nuclear reactor designs ground to a near halt. Basically, NRC hasn't certified any new designs since AEC. Tell me how is this a conspiracy theory!? NRC's role, just from empirical examinination appears to be a roadblock, not a regulatory agency for the good and the service of the people. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2022/08/nuclear-regulatory-commission-has-nearly-frozen-nuclear-designs-for-48-years.html https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2022/08/nuclear-regulatory-com...
- qualudeheart 4y ago
  What about the approval of Nuscale’s reactor?
  - systemvoltage 4y ago
    I think there were issues in the initial 2016 proposal, some were corrected in the subsequent proposals. Just the fact that it has taken some 12000 page application and we're in the 7th year of this process tells you what you need to know. The entire industry is fucked and the only the way to move forward to abolish NRC, start a new agency that resembles AEC from 1940-1970. Perhaps the next president will.

addicted 4y ago

And the NRC has global powers which is why nuclear was barely being built anywhere else in the world other China, and projects in other countries weee collapsing until the were bailed out by the Chinese, like in the UK.

Georgelemental 4y ago
Other Western nations mostly have similar regulatory issues. South Korea, which doesn't, builds its nuclear plants on time and on budget