§16272 Reactor concepts research, development, demonstration, and commercial application

Summary

The Secretary of Energy must run programs to research, test, and help bring new and better nuclear technologies into use. One program will help existing commercial nuclear power plants by using modeling and simulation to make them more reliable, produce more power, last longer, cost less to run, stay safe and secure, handle aging parts, operate more flexibly, and reduce environmental impact and other risks. Within one year after August 9, 2022, the Secretary must check whether to start a subprogram to show how existing plants could make important radioactive and stable isotopes (the term is defined in section 18649(a)). The Secretary must work with the Office of Science on that check. Every year the Secretary must send a public report to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources showing how program money was spent, what was done, what was achieved, and which private groups got funds. Up to $55,000,000 is authorized each year for fiscal years 2021 through 2025 for this work. The Secretary must also run a program for advanced reactor technologies. It must favor designs that are passively safe and resistant to proliferation and that, compared to reactors on December 27, 2020, are cost-competitive, more efficient, safer, produce less waste per output, and use modern monitoring. The program must fund work on tough materials and fuels, modeling and simulation for faster design and licensing, waste management, sensors and controls, advanced manufacturing and construction methods, testing facilities (including research reactors, hot cells, a fast neutron source, and coolant testing for lead, sodium, gas, and molten salt), and safety and emergency planning. The Secretary must consult the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Nuclear Security Administration where appropriate, form an outside advisory committee that reports yearly to Congress, and is authorized $55,000,000 each year for fiscal years 2021 through 2025. Finally, the Secretary must run a program to develop nuclear integrated energy systems (nuclear plus other co-located or linked energy systems) to cut greenhouse gases and boost efficiency; this work may include desalination, hydrogen and fuel production, industrial heat, district heating, storage, carbon capture, microgrids, modeling, and integration with existing infrastructure. Funding authorized for that program is $20,000,000 for FY2021, $30,000,000 for FY2022, $30,000,000 for FY2023, $40,000,000 for FY2024, and $40,000,000 for FY2025.