New Regulations for 'Next-Generation Nuclear Power' SMR to Be Introduced... "Amendment of Nuclear Safety Act Also Planned"

Report Presented at the 207th NSSC Meeting

The 207th Nuclear Safety Committee meeting is being held. February 13, 2025. Provided by the Nuclear Safety Committee.

A regulatory framework suitable for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), known as the next-generation nuclear power plants, will be established within this year. This new standard will be created before the innovative Small Modular Reactor (i-SMR), currently under research and development as a national project, applies for standard design approval next year.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) reported on the "SMR Safety Regulation Preparation Status and Promotion Plan" at the 207th NSSC meeting held on the 13th.

The NSSC plans to establish a regulatory stance and revise regulatory standards this year to prepare the review foundation so that the i-SMR standard design approval, scheduled for application in 2026, can be conducted in a timely manner.

The NSSC is creating new SMR standards because the current regulations are tailored to large commercial nuclear power plants and are difficult to apply directly to SMRs. According to developers' estimates, there are 36 existing regulations that do not fit the ongoing i-SMR design.

Among these, the NSSC plans to prioritize reviewing and possibly amending two legal provisions and two administrative rules that can be addressed without detailed design information.

A representative regulation that does not fit the current rules for i-SMR is the requirement under the Nuclear Safety Act regarding the number of reactor operators. The current regulation mandates that each reactor must always have at least one person licensed as a reactor control supervisor and one person licensed as a reactor operator engaged in reactor operation duties. The NSSC views this regulation as suitable for large commercial reactors but sees the need to revise it considering the characteristics of the i-SMR.

Amendments to the provisions on the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) under the Radiation Protection Act are also under consideration. According to the current Radiation Protection Act, the preventive protective action zone for power reactors and related facilities is within a radius of 3 to 5 km, and the urgent protective action planning zone is 20 to 30 km. Since SMRs have smaller capacity and enhanced safety, it is expected that these regulations can be revised. The NSSC explained that it plans to develop a methodology for setting the EPZ tailored to the characteristics of the i-SMR.

The NSSC also plans to establish "Technical Standards on the Location of Reactor Facilities" to organize matters that can be commonly applied to all reactors regardless of the detailed contents of the i-SMR standard design. Additionally, to prepare for cases where technical standards are unnecessary or impossible to apply due to new design characteristics, the NSSC will create procedures for "Exemption and Exception Recognition of Technical Standards for Reactor Facilities."

After obtaining standard design approval, the NSSC plans to study regulations to verify safety throughout the entire lifecycle?including construction, operation, decommissioning, and radiation protection and security?in preparation for construction permit applications and commercial operation. A working group for non-light water SMRs, including Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR), High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR), Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), and Lead-cooled Fast Reactors (LFR), will be newly established to introduce a technology-inclusive regulatory system in the mid to long term.

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