Up & Atom

The NRC recently issued Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2025-02, which asks reactor licensees to voluntarily provide information about their plans for power-uprate licensing submittals. The NRC will use this information to set future budgets and project resource needs to review these anticipated applications. The anticipated spate of power uprates stems primarily from significant increases in power demand projections propelled by data centers, electrification, and other economic drivers. Although responses are voluntary, applicants who provide advance notice will receive priority in the NRC review process.

As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools become more widely adopted in various products and industries, the NRC has begun studying what roles these technologies can play in commercial nuclear power operations. On April 21, as part of its study, the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research requested public comments on the role of these technologies “in the various phases of nuclear power generation operational experience and plant management.”