News
On February 19 - 21, 2025, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) conducted a 3-day Advanced Licensing Exercise Program (ALEP) workshop with the Ghana Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) in Accra, Ghana. The workshop was the culmination of a 5-month licensing exercise under which IRDP supported NRA preparations for reviewing a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) construction license application. The exercise began in September 2024.Under ALEP, NRA staff practiced drafting safety evaluations (SEs) based on their review of four designated…
From January 26-30, 2025, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (USNRC) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) conducted a Research and Test Reactors Construction Licensing Workshop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The workshop was hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Nuclear Radiological Regulatory Commission (NRRC). The audience included senior managers and numerous staff members from NRRC, as well as representatives from the licensee at the Low Power Research Reactor at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. IRDP instructors, Dr. Steve…
From November 4-8, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) supported a training course on small modular reactors (SMRs). The training course was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and was titled, “Training Course on Safety Aspects of SMRs and other Innovative Reactors”. The purpose of the training course was to provide an overview of the safety aspects of five SMR and advanced technology types, namely, water cooled SMRs, high-temperature gas reactors, sodium fast reactors, lead fast reactors, and…
From November 5-8th, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) participated in a four-day Nuclear Safety, Licensing, and Regulatory Development workshop in Kenya, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State under the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) Program. Staff from the IRDP provided information on establishing a regulatory authority, the NRC licensing framework, an overview of the SMR Regulators’ Forum, key differences between Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and…
From October 29-31, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) conducted a Nuclear Executive Workshop in Manila, Philippines. The workshop was hosted by the Philippines Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and was attended by members of several other government organizations and private companies interested in pursuing nuclear power generation. The main objective of the workshop was to help the Philippine government and other attendees to gain a better understanding of the aspects of regulation of nuclear power production.…
From September 10-13, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) held a 4-day topical workshop for the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission (NRRC), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The workshop was held in Vienna, Austria and focused on how to identify and assess the potential environmental impacts of a nuclear power plant. The workshop included technical presentations, facilitated discussions and interactive scenario exercises by subject matter experts from NRC’s Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards and from…
In helping the Ghana Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) to prepare for reviewing a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) license application, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) joined the NRA in a workshop September 10 - 12, 2024, to kick off a new collaborative project. The NRC’s International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) conducted the 3-day workshop as a first step in a new Advanced Licensing Exercise Program (ALEP), which will support the NRA as it conducts a simulated technical review of the NuScale SMR design. The ALEP will enable the NRA to utilize its own systems and…
On August 19-23, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership consulted with Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) in Warsaw, Poland. The objective was to continue to support the PAA’s preparations for the anticipated receipt of a construction license application for three Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactors.The consultation was conducted by NRC Senior Managers Ms. Sabrina Atack and Mr. Brian Smith; NRC Team Leader from the Office of International Programs, Ms. Veronica Rodriguez Alfonso; and subject matter experts…
On August 15, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership participated in a bilateral meeting held in Tallinn, Estonia to discuss future cooperation between NRC and Estonia on regulatory development. In June 2024, the Estonian Parliament adopted a decision supporting the preparation for the introduction of nuclear energy in Estonia and the creation of an appropriate legal framework. Given the Parliament’s decision, Estonia wants to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. government in the field of nuclear energy.The meeting was…
On August 13, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) participated in a bilateral meeting with the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Slovenia is currently analyzing the potential for expanding its nuclear power capacity by considering possible technologies ranging from large power reactors to small modular reactors (SMRs). The meeting facilitated discussions in its preparations to receive applications for new nuclear power plants if the Slovenian government makes the decision to expand…