Sec. 305. Demonstration and early deployment of advanced nuclear reactors
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Subtitle B of title VI of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( Public Law 109–58 ; 119 Stat. 782) is further amended by adding after section 639(A) (as added by this Act) the following: The Secretary shall, as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this section, enable the commercial deployment of domestic, advanced, affordable, and clean nuclear energy by— demonstrating different advanced nuclear reactor technologies that may be used by the private sector to produce— emission-free power at a cost of not more than $70 per mWh; heat for industrial purposes or synthetic fuel production; a supply of remote or off-grid energy; or a power supply that is a necessary backup to a mission for which uninterrupted power is critical; developing goals for nuclear energy research programs, which are carried out by the Office of Nuclear Energy of the Department of Energy; identifying research that the private sector is unable or unwilling to undertake due to the cost of, or risks associated with, the research; and facilitating the access of the private sector— to Federal research facilities; and to the results of research funded by the Federal Government.
Not later than December 31, 2025, the Secretary shall establish a program to enter into agreements to carry out no fewer than 5 demonstration projects pursuant to subsection (a)(1) to demonstrate the suitability of advanced nuclear reactors for commercial applications. In carrying out demonstration projects under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— ensure the demonstration projects under paragraph
(1)cover a diverse range of designs, including designs using different primary coolants; ensure that— the long-term cost of electricity or heat for each design involved in a demonstration project carried out under this subsection is cost-competitive in the applicable market; and such cost-competitiveness is verified by an external review; enter into cost-sharing agreements with partners in accordance with section 988 for the conduct of activities relating to the research, development, and demonstration of private-sector advanced nuclear reactor designs under the program established under paragraph (1); work with private sector partners to identify potential sites, including sites owned by the Department, to carry out demonstration projects, as appropriate; and align specific activities carried out under demonstration projects that are carried out under this subsection, with priorities identified through direct consultation between— the Secretary; the National Laboratories; traditional end-users (such as an electric utility); potential end-users of new technologies (such as petrochemical companies); and developers of advanced nuclear reactor technology. The Secretary shall establish and annually update goals for the research to support the demonstration of advanced reactors under subsection
(b)and the deployment of subsequent advanced reactors. In developing and updating the goals, the Secretary shall coordinate with members of private industry. In developing the goals, the Secretary shall ensure that— research activities are focused on— key areas of nuclear research, development, and deployment that range from basic research on advanced nuclear reactor generation to full-design development, safety evaluation, and licensing; resolving materials challenges relating to radiation damage or corrosive coolants; and qualification of advanced nuclear fuel; infrastructure, such as a versatile reactor-based fast neutron source, which is required to be established in section 955(c)(1) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 16275(c)(1) ), or a molten salt testing facility to aid in research, is constructed; and advanced manufacturing and construction techniques and materials are analyzed to identify strategies to reduce the commercialization cost of advanced nuclear reactors. In this section: The term advanced nuclear reactor means a nuclear fission or nuclear fusion reactor, including a prototype plant (as such term is defined in section 50.2 or section 52.1 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this section)), with significant improvements compared to a commercial nuclear reactor that is under construction as of the date of enactment of this section, including improvements such as— additional inherent safety features; significantly lower levelized cost of electricity; lower waste yields; greater fuel utilization; enhanced reliability; increased proliferation resistance; increased thermal efficiency; reduced consumption of cooling water; the ability to integrate into electric applications and nonelectric applications; modular sizes to allow for deployment that corresponds with the demand for electricity; or operational flexibility to respond to changes in demand for electricity and to complement integration with intermittent renewable energy. The term demonstration project means a project carried out under subsection
(b)that— includes operation of an advanced nuclear reactor as part of the power generation facilities of an electric utility system; or demonstrates the suitability of an advanced nuclear reactor for commercial application. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030. . The table of contents of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 15801 note) is further amended by adding after the item relating to section 639A (as added by this Act) the following: Sec. 639B. Advanced nuclear reactor research and development goals. .
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- Pub. L. 109-58
- 119 Stat. 782
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Sec. 305
Demonstration and early deployment of advanced nuclear reactors
Pub. L.Pub. L. 109-58
Stat.119 Stat. 782
Cites 4Cited by 0 across 0 sources