ML24095A176

News Release-24-019: U.S., Canadian and U.K. Nuclear Regulators to Expand Cooperation on Technical Reviews of Advanced and Small Modular Reactor Technologies

ML24095A176
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Issue date:	03/13/2024
From:	Office of Public Affairs
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News Release-24-019
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No: 24-019 March 13, 2024 CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200 U.S., Canadian and U.K. Nuclear Regulators to Expand Cooperation on Technical Reviews of Advanced and Small Modular Reactor Technologies

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the United Kingdoms Office for Nuclear Regulation have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to collaborate on technical reviews of advanced reactor and small modular reactor technologies.

The trilateral memorandum furthers the countries mutual interest in effectively and efficiently considering next-generation technologies, in keeping with their agencies safety and security missions. The NRC, CNSC and ONR are building on the information-sharing aspects of several previous agreements, as well as recent bilateral Memoranda of Cooperation on SMR/advanced reactor technology.

This agreement shows the great progress weve made with our international counterparts to ensure advanced reactor technology can be safely and efficiently deployed, said NRC Chair Christopher T. Hanson. Weve seen our work with CNSC on joint reports support significant licensing activities on several advanced designs over the past couple of years. We look forward to ONRs contributions as we all consider applications to build SMRs and advanced reactors.

The CNSC is pleased to sign our first trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation with our longstanding partners, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.K. Office for Nuclear Regulation, said Ramzi Jammal, acting CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

This provides a framework for the three organizations to work together to optimize our collective skills, experiences, and knowledge.

This agreements partnering approach will improve both regulatory effectiveness and efficiency, essential given the rapid growth in reactor technologies seeking regulatory consideration and approval, said ONR Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Inspector Mark Foy. Our willingness to share technical knowledge and judgements will streamline regulation while maintaining safety, acting as an exemplar of how regulators should work together in todays modern world.

The memorandum underscores the agencies commitment to share best practices and regulatory experience as new technologies move toward standardization that facilitates international deployment. The agreement is expected to aid development of shared approaches for reviewing common technical safety issues to meet each countrys regulatory requirements. The agencies will also collaborate on pre-application activities, research, training, and emerging novel technical issues.