The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved simplified procedures for mandatory
hearings on licensing decisions for commercial nuclear power plants and uranium enrichment
facilities to make the hearings more transparent and efficient. The staff’s proposals, the
Commission’s decision, and Commission Voting Records are available on the NRC website
under SECY-24-0032.
The changes are effective immediately and will be employed in the mandatory hearing
anticipated later this year for the Hermes 2 advanced reactor review. Mandatory hearings, also
informally called “uncontested” hearings, for power reactors will involve written materials
without oral presentations, with the Commission as presiding officer. Hearings for uranium
enrichment facilities will be delegated to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel with
case-specific Commission direction for streamlined procedures.
“As the agency prepares for the potential increase in standardized reactor designs and
applications for their deployment, it is important to balance efficiency, clarity, and openness in
Commission decision-making,” NRC Chair Christopher T. Hanson wrote in a Feb. 7 memo
directing the agency’s Office of the General Counsel to develop proposals for future hearings.
“Within the guardrails of our current statutory requirements, I believe significant process
efficiencies can be gained.”
The agency is required by law to conduct hearings to determine the sufficiency of the
NRC staff’s review before issuing combined licenses, construction permits and early site permits
for power reactors, or licenses for construction and operation of uranium enrichment facilities.
The Commission, or the ASLBP designated as “presiding officer,” has conducted 21
mandatory hearings over the past 20 years. These have typically involved oral arguments with
witness testimony and extensive written briefs and responses.
