New NRC Draft Rule for Licensing Fusion Reactors Fails to Address Serious Safety Risks

WASHINGTON (December 13, 2024)-The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) released a proposed rule draft yesterday that would establish a licensing framework for applicants seeking to build nuclear fusion reactors. Notably, two NRC staff members issued an alternative view in the draft rule package, challenging the different licensing approach taken for fusion reactors versus the current fleet of fission reactors.

In 2023, under pressure from the nascent nuclear fusion industry, NRC commissioners voted to exempt fusion reactors from the safety and environmental standards that nuclear fission reactors must follow based on technologies expected in the near-term. This vote essentially restricted regulation to cover only the radioactive materials they produce and not the actual safety of their operations, which is similar to the minimalist regulatory approach the NRC currently has for particle accelerators. In their alternative view, staff emphasized how nuclear fusion power reactors "can have hazards and waste streams significantly beyond those of particle accelerators." Specifically, fusion reactors would generate far more power, operate at much higher temperatures, and the ensuing hazards including radioactive material will also be "significantly larger."

Below is a statement by Dr. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

"The NRC commissioners should pay serious attention to the safety concerns raised by these expert staff members issued in their alternative view instead of simply taking the word of fusion industry lobbyists that their reactors will be benign. Fusion reactors have the potential to cause significant public health and environmental impacts, and they'll need to be thoroughly evaluated and regulated from design through construction and operation. Pretending otherwise could leave the U.S. public dangerously vulnerable to harm from catastrophic accidents at nearby fusion reactors."