The ADVANCE Act (AA), recently signed into law, will help the U.S. build nuclear reactors faster. Energy demand is expected to grow rapidly as data centers, electric vehicles and others search for clean/reliable power. The U.S. plans to triple nuclear capacity to be part of the solution.
AA modernizes licensing of new reactor technologies. It directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to cut fees/increase staff to expedite the process. This should speed development of new nuclear reactors. In 2023, the NRC certified the nation’s first small modular reactor and issued a construction permit for a non-light water design.
The bill also focuses on small microreactors that can be deployed across the country. AA directs the NRC to develop guidance to license/regulate microreactor designs within 18 months. It also eliminates costs for pre-application activities/early site permits at many locations. This should expedite two projects being pursued by the military.
AA enables cleanup/reuse of brownfield sites, including hundreds of retired/retiring coal plants. The NRC will streamline licensing processes for nuclear facilities at these sites. For example, the NRC is currently reviewing TerraPower’s construction permit application to build its Natrium reactor near a retiring coal plant in Kemmerer, WY.
Many nuclear designs will require high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) not currently available in the U.S. AA supports development of U.S. capabilities to produce low-enriched uranium, including HALEU, to strengthen the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain and reduce dependence on Russia/China.
MOSIMTEC has significant experience supporting domestic nuclear providers with computer simulation and digital twins:
- For a manufacturer of microreactors, MOSIMTEC developed a simulation model for a planned heat pipe manufacturing facility. The tool was used to quantify the impact of equipment, manpower and work schedules on the annual throughput of the facility. Before construction was complete, the model helped identify a need for additional staff/equipment to reach the target throughput of the facility.
- For a manufacturer of nuclear components, MOSIMTEC supported risk-based planning and scheduling for their nuclear component manufacturing facility and specialized machine shop. The goal was to create a digital twin of facility operations that can operate seamlessly with the company’s existing enterprise software to import current facility work and export a proposed schedule.
- The American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) recently released its Engineering Management Handbook (3rd Edition), including a chapter on simulation with practical case studies as part of the Operations and Supply Chain Management topic. One case study is based on a MOSIMTEC project – Simulation-Based Planning and Scheduling Solution for a Nuclear Fuel Fabrication and Assembly Site Using Digital Twins.
Keywords: Electric Utility, Generation, Advance Act, nuclear power, nuclear reactors, nuclear capacity, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, reactor technologies, modular reactors, non-light water reactors, microreactors, TerraPower, Natrium reactor, high-assay low-enriched uranium, HALEU, nuclear fuel supply chain, simulation modeling, digital twins, risk-based planning and scheduling, nuclear component manufacturing, Association for Engineering Management, Engineering Management Handbook