US nuclear regulators will now fast-track advanced reactor designs

US nuclear regulators are changing their rules for mandatory hearings in licensing new reactors. This means new nuclear power plant designs will get approved faster, especially those that are not the traditional light-water reactors.

For decades, every new nuclear reactor design had to go through a hearing process designed for the large, conventional reactors of the 1960s. This made it slow and expensive to license anything different, effectively blocking new technologies. This change means advanced reactor developers can now get their designs reviewed more quickly, potentially speeding up deployment of smaller, more flexible nuclear power sources.