ML26058A192
| ML26058A192 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 99902143 |
| Issue date: | 02/27/2026 |
| From: | Getachew Tesfaye NRC/NRR/DNRL/NRLB |
| To: | Jardaneh M NRC/NRR/DNRL/NRLB |
| References | |
| Download: ML26058A192 (0) | |
Text
MEMORANDUM TO: Mahmoud Jardaneh, Chief New Reactor Licensing Branch Division of New and Renewed Licenses Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM:
Getachew Tesfaye, Senior Project Manager New Reactor Licensing Branch Division of New and Renewed Licenses Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
SUMMARY
OF PUBLIC MEETING WITH ROLLS-ROYCE SMR LIMITED TO DISCUSS PRE-APPLICATION ACTIVITIES - FEBRUARY 11, 2026 The United States (U.S.) Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) conducted an observation public meeting on February 11, 2025, with Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Limited.
The purpose of the meeting was for Rolls-Royce SMR Limited to present detailed design overview of their SMR and provide an update on international safety and regulatory reviews, including the ongoing United Kingdom (UK) Generic Design Assessment (GDA) review and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety review.
Meeting Overview The meeting began with introductions from both NRC staff and Rolls-Royce SMR Limited personnel. NRC staff clarified ground rules for participation, including procedures for in-person and remote attendees, and encouraged public engagement through questions and feedback.
Rolls-Royce SMR Limited provided a comprehensive update on the status of their SMR design regulatory review in the UK, noting completion of Step 2 of the GDA and ongoing work in Step
- 3. Step 2 regulatory reports identified no fundamental issues with the design, and the company expects completion of Step 3 following submission of a substantial number of supporting documents. Rolls-Royce also described parallel progress on radiological justification with UK government agencies and highlighted the trilateral engagement involving UK, Canadian, and U.S. regulators.
The Rolls-Royce team detailed results of the IAEA technical safety review, which found no fundamental safety issues and commended several areas of good practice, particularly related to external hazards. The company has also engaged with the IAEA and other organizations to integrate safeguards by design into the SMR, ensuring alignment with international requirements.
CONTACT: Getachew Tesfaye, NRR/DNRL/NRLB 301-415-8013 February 27, 2026 Signed by Tesfaye, Getac on 02/27/26
M. Jardaneh 2
Technical Presentation Rolls-Royce SMR Limited presented key features of the SMR design, including:
A three-loop, pressurized water reactor (PWR) rated at approximately 470 MWe (1300 MWt), with boron-free primary chemistry and modular construction.
Use of standard uranium dioxide fuel assemblies enriched up to 4.95 percent U-235, with gadolinium burnable poison and zirconium alloy cladding.
A compact, modular plant layout designed for ease of transportation, assembly, and maintenance, with attention to inspection access and operational experience.
Seismic isolation features (air seismic bearings) intended to standardize reactor structures above the isolation system, with site-specific tuning for seismic inputs.
Passive containment cooling and ultimate heat sink systems designed to provide extended coping times (up to 160 hours0.00185 days <br />0.0444 hours <br />2.645503e-4 weeks <br />6.088e-5 months <br /> with three trains) during post-accident conditions, with validation through modeling and ongoing scaled component testing.
Defense-in-depth safety features, including rapid shutdown via control rods, an alternative shutdown system using concentrated boron injection, and diverse protection systems for instrumentation and control.
Spent fuel storage designed for at least ten years onsite capacity, with provisions for dry cask storage and site-specific solutions.
Modular construction approach using prefabricated mechanical and civil modules, assembled onsite in a "site factory" to reduce construction schedules and improve quality control.
Discussion and NRC Staff Questions NRC staff engaged Rolls-Royce SMR Limited on a range of technical topics, including:
Inspection and maintenance access in the compact plant layout, especially regarding steam generator and reactor coolant pump removal.
Seismic isolation system standardization and site-specific requirements.
Fuel cycle details, including the number of cycles per assembly and licensing approach for fuel fabrication.
Boron-free chemistry impacts on criticality control in the spent fuel pool and spent fuel rack design.
Safety analysis codes, validation, and compatibility with U.S. regulatory expectations.
Passive containment cooling system performance, experimental validation, and defense-in-depth strategies.
Spent fuel pool capacity and dry cask storage transition timelines.
Construction and modularization methodology, including site factory operations, impact of architectural treatments (berm), and environmental/flooding considerations.
Load-following capability and flexibility for site-specific requirements.
Public Participation Members of the public were invited to comment and ask questions. The Breakthrough Institute commended the level of information provided and encouraged continued public transparency.
Rolls-Royce SMR Limited directed attendees to their GDA website for further information.
M. Jardaneh 3
Conclusion The meeting concluded with NRC staff and Rolls-Royce SMR Limited agreeing to continue dialogue through both public and closed sessions as pre-application activities progress. The NRC staff emphasized the importance of public engagement and transparency in the review process.
The public meeting notice dated February 11, 2026, was posted on the NRC public website, and can be found in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management Systems (ADAMS) Accession No. ML26040A031. Information related to NuScale presentations can be found under ML26040A002.
Project No. 99902143
Enclosure:
List of Attendees
- via econcurrence NRR-106 OFFICE NRR/DNRL/NRLB: PM NRR/DNRL/NRLB: BC NRR/DNRL/NRLB: PM NAME GTesfaye MJardaneh*
GTesfaye DATE 02/27/2026 02/27/2026
Enclosure U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION PUBLIC MEETING WITH ROLLS-ROYCE SMR LIMITED TO DISCUSS PRE-APPLICATION ACTIVITIES - FEBRUARY 11, 2026 MEETING ATTENDEES Name Organization Getachew Tesfaye U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Michele Sampson NRC Mahmoud -MJ-Jardaneh NRC Rebecca Patton NRC Lu, Shanlai NRC Greg Makar NRC Angelo Stubbs NRC Samir Darbali NRC Adam Rau NRC Joseph Messina NRC Scott Krepel NRC Ian Tseng NRC Amit Ghosh NRC Cory Parker NRC Thomas Braudt NRC Liam O'Donoghue NRC Ewa Muzikova NRC Leslie Terry NRC Nicholas Hansing NRC Antony Calvo NRC Warren Erling NRC Jack Zhao NRC Mark Salisbury Rolls-Royce (RR)
Ieuan Swainston RR Francesco Pellegrino RR Steven Moor RR Ben Yates RR Deric Tilson Public (Breakthrough Institute)