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 topics in the NRC-approved NuScale US600 reactor design certification application. Staff from the NRA, NRC, and AdSTM (NRC’s contractor) held periodic virtual interactions during the exercise. Prior to the February 2025 workshop, NRA staff sent their draft SEs to the NRC and AdSTM team, which reviewed and developed feedback on them. This feedback was discussed in detail with the NRA during the February 2025 workshop.
The NRC and AdSTM found that NRA managed the project well, adhering to pre-established deadlines in spite of unanticipated challenges, and that the draft SEs were high-quality products. In addition, the team discussed with NRA staff the lessons they took from ALEP and the scope, objectives, and deliverables associated with specific tasks that NRA identified as a result of the exercise. Completion of these tasks will help the NRA to be fully prepared to review a future application for a reactor construction license.
NRA management and technical staff were pleased with the work conducted under ALEP. NRA management stated their appreciation for the NRC support, emphasized the importance they ascribed to the ALEP, and provided positive feedback on the workshop.