ML25338A354

National Organization of Test, Research, and Training Reactors 2025 Presentation by Tony Brown on NPUF Oversight and Licensing

ML25338A354
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Issue date:	09/11/2025
From:	Tony Brown Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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Welcome to NRC Day TRTR 2025 Annual Conference September 11, 2025

Non-Power Production and Utilization Facility (NPUF)

Oversight and Licensing Branches -

Overview Tony Brown, Chief, NPUF Oversight Branch

NRC Day Agenda 8:30 Welcome to NRC Day 8:35 NPUF Oversight and Licensing, Q&A Tony Brown, Chief, NPUF Oversight Branch 10:00 BREAK 10:30 NPUF Rule--Safety Analysis Reports, Q&A Justin Hudson, Project Manager, Licensing 12:00 LUNCH 1:30 NPUF RuleFSAR SUNSI Redactions, Q&A Justin Hudson 2:30 BREAK 3:00 Operator Licensing, Requalification Best Amy Beasten, PhD, Reactor Engineer, NPUF Examiner Practices, Exemptions, NUREG-1478, Q&A Michele DeSouza, Reactor Engineer, NPUF Examiner 5:00 BREAK 6:00 BANQUET 3

NRC Senior Leadership Commission Office of Executive Director for Operations (EDO)

New to Position 4

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Michael F. King EDO (Acting)

Sabrina Atack Deputy EDO (Acting)

Greg Bowman Director NRR (Acting)

Mike Franovich Deputy for Engineering Jeremy Groom Deputy for Reactor Safety and Mission Support (Acting)

Jeremy Bowen Deputy for New Reactors (Acting)

David A. Wright Chairman Bradley R. Crowell Commissioner Matthew J. Marzano Commissioner

Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities (DANU)

DANU Management DANU Branch Chiefs Jonathan Greives Director (Acting)

Josh Borromeo UAL1 5

Greg Oberson UTB3 Travis Tate UTB1 Jeff Rady UNPL Mehdi Reisi Fard Deputy Director Mike Wentzel UARP Tony Brown UNPO Candace de Messieres UTB2 New to Position Alissa Neuhausen UAL2

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Operating Reactors, Project Managers, and Inspectors Existing Fleet of 29 RTRs

• 22 Pool

• 15 TRIGA (AFRRI, Dow Chemical, Kansas State, Oregon State, Penn State, Reed, Texas A&M, USGS, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Maryland, UT Austin, Utah, Wisconsin, Washington State)

• 5 MTR (Ohio State, Purdue, Rhode Island, U Mass Lowell, Missouri University of Science and Technology)

• 1 PULSTAR (NC State)

• 1 Critical Assembly (Rensselaer PI)

• 3 Tank

• 2 CP5 type (MIT, NIST - MTR)

• 1 Tank in Pool (MURR - MTR)

• 3 AGN (Idaho, TAMU, U New Mexico)

• 1 Argonaut (Florida - MTR) 7 University of California at Irvine Project Managers, Backup PMs, Inspectors:

https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/project-managers.html#pwr

Oversight Personnel Overview Tony Brown (New to position)

• Hiring additional staff*

Licensing Assistant:

- Nicole Parker Operator Licensing Assistant:

- Nia Jones Examiners:

- Amy Beasten, PhD

- Michele DeSouza

- Maggie Goodwin Inspectors:

- Craig Bassett

- Jonathan Braisted

- Brian Lin

- Jared Nadel

- Necota Staples

- Andrew Waugh Branch Chief Staff 8

Previous experience NEI: Technical Advisor, Regulatory Affairs TVA:

- Site Licensing Manager, Watts Bar

- Interim Fleet Licensing Manager, TVA HQ

- Senior Program Manager, TVA HQ NRC:

- Acting Branch Chief, JLD and DLP

- Project Manager, JLD/NRR

- Senior Resident Inspector, Palo Verde

- Resident Inspector, Diablo Canyon

- Project Engineer, NRC Region IV US Navy:

- Commander, US Navy Reserve (Retired)

- Officer Recruiter, Austin, TX

- Division Officer, USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723)

Oversight Areas of Responsibility 9

NPUF Oversight Safety Inspections Security Inspections International Coordination Security and emergency plans Operator Licensing New Reactors Event response activities

Oversight Inspection Program FY25 Results 10 4

23 3

1 10 Inspection Manual Chapter 2545, "Research and Test Reactor Inspection Program" Safety Inspections Security Inspections Special Inspections Supplemental Inspections (Planned) Safety Inspections

Oversight Branch Current Items of Interests

• NUREG-1478, Revision 3 Draft for Comment o Comments due September 26th, submit via www.FederalRegister.gov

• Security Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) in development to collect applicable NPUF security requirements into one reference document

• Oversight program assessment in progress to review inspection program and procedures

• Review and wholesale revision of regulations and guidance documents in accordance with EO 14300

• New and Advanced reactors evaluation and coordination

• Current NPUF reactor items - aging equipment, shutdown reactors, exemptions 11

Licensing Personnel Overview Previous experience at NRC Chief, Fire and External Hazards Analysis Branch, Division of Risk Analysis, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Reactor Systems Engineer Senior Reactor Inspector Senior Emergency Preparedness Inspector Peach Bottom NPP, I&C Specialist Merck & Co., Automation Engineer Maida Engineering, Project Engineer Jeff Rady (New to position)

• Hiring additional PMs*

Mike Balazik Patrick Boyle Zeinab Farahmandfar (New)

Brooke Gallagher Ed Helvenston Justin Hudson Jessica Lovett Andrew Miller Cindy Montgomery Bradley Stamler Paulette Torres Linh Tran Branch Chief Staff 12 Project Managers (PMs)

UNPL Areas of Responsibility 13 Project Management

Significant Licensing Branch Accomplishments

• Day-to-day project management support of safe operation of 29 facilities

• Non-Power Production or Utilization Facility License Renewal Rule (NPUF Rule)

• NPUF Rule conforming amendments and establishment of FSAR update due dates

• License amendments (NIST, Univ. of New Mexico, and Penn State)

• 10 CFR Part 55 exemptions (Kansas State, Univ. of Utah, and NIST)

• Public meetings on NEI 23-03 for 50.59 digital modifications at NPUFs

• International activities (IAEA International Conference on Research Reactors, Technical Meeting on Incident Reporting System for Research Reactors, Bilateral Technical Meeting with Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India)

• Pre-application readiness assessment report (Eden Radioisotopes LLC)

• Final safety evaluation for topical report (UIUC Fuel Qualification) 14

Ongoing Licensing Projects NIST LAR to reclassify as a research reactor NIST requalification program revision RPI LAR to add extended shutdown condition University of Texas-Austin and North Carolina State license renewals/power uprate Periodic Review of Regulatory Guide 2.2, Development of Technical Specifications for Experiments in Research Reactors Pre-application activities Abilene Christian University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Eden Radioisotopes, and Atomic Alchemy, Inc.

Other LARs expected in the near term but not yet submitted to NRC HEU to LEU conversions of NIST, MURR, and MIT 15

Useful NRC Links 16

• Advanced Reactor Pre-Application Activities: Includes links and basic information for all facilities engaged in pre-application activities with NRC

• Advanced Reactor Application Projects: Includes links and information for all facilities with an application under review with NRC

• Advanced Reactor Infrastructure Activities: The site enables users to search for documents by keywords or by regulatory applicability. Users can also identify documents associated with projects of interest.

• NPUF FSAR Status: Final Safety Analysis Report Update Tracking for Non-Power Production and Utilization Facility Order

• NRC Electronic Submittal Application: NRC public website to assist with electronic submittals to NRC

• NRC Public Documents: Link to Public Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS)

• NRC Prospective Applicant Guide: Provides information, guidance, and support for applicants who are currently in the development process of a nuclear reactor design or reactor-related project that have not yet contacted the NRC. Discusses the steps necessary for an applicant to take before reaching out to the NRC and will also provide the appropriate way to contact the NRC for a project.

Advanced Reactor (non-LWR and LWR) applicants, vendors, and research/test reactors -Pre-application Activities High Temperature Gas Reactors Light Water Reactors Molten Salt Reactors /

Molten Chloride Fast Reactors Sodium Cooled Reactors Other Designs 17 Energy Northwest Deep Fission Abilene Christian University

• Aalo Atomics Appalachian Power Company General Atomics GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 Kairos Power, LLC

• ARC Clean Technology Blue Energy, Inc.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Hadron Energy, Inc.

Natura Resources Oklo Inc.

Duke Energy - Belews Creek, NC

• Radiant Industries, INC.

• Last Energy TerraPower, LLC TerraPower & GE - Hitachi Natrium Japan Atomic Energy Agency

• Terra Innovatum (SOLO)

REPLOY Power, Inc.

Terrestrial Energy USA, INC.

• Shepherd Power, LLC

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.

Rolls-Royce SMR Limited Texas A&M University - RELLIS Campus X-Energy, LLC (XE-100)

SMR, LLC (Holtec)

Link to this website

• Westinghouse eVinci X-Energy, LLC (XENITH)

Westinghouse AP300

Commitment to TRTR Community:

Dedication to Meet the New Challenges

• New NRC mission statement, The NRC protects public health and safety and advances the nations common defense and security by enabling the safe and secure use and deployment of civilian nuclear energy technologies and radioactive materials through efficient and reliable licensing, oversight, and regulation for the benefit of society and the environment.

• Rapid change - Executive Order 14300, "Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission" and ADVANCE Act of 2024

• Continued support for existing research and test reactor fleet while also focusing efforts to enable new facilities 18

Question and Answer Session