On December 9, 2021, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) conducted a short virtual presentation on Regulatory and Licensing Considerations for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). This presentation was part of a consultancy sponsored by U.S. Department of State (DOS) under the U.S. Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program. The purpose of the consultancy was to discuss topics the Ghanaians would be interested in learning more about and included presentations by DOS, U.S. National Laboratories, and Texas A&M University. Representatives from Ghana included Ghana Atomic Energy Commission’s Nuclear Power Institute, Nuclear Power Ghana, and the Ghana Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
Experts from NRC’s contractor, Advanced Systems Technology and Management, Inc. (AdSTM), Dr. Charles Miller, Mr. Mark Tonacci and Mr. Stewart Magruder presented on differences between SMRs and the current fleet of reactors, the U.S. two-step licensing framework, necessary laws, regulations and guidance, technical review areas for a nuclear power plant application, and important considerations for an emerging regulator conducting its first nuclear power plant review.