Podcast Summary: "The path to market for new nuclear reactors"

Catalyst with Shayle Kann, Latitude Media
Guest: Dr. Katie Huff (Associate Professor at University of Illinois, former Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, DOE)
Release Date: February 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the current surge of innovation in nuclear reactor technology and the regulatory processes these new designs must navigate to hit the market in the U.S. Host Shayle Kann and guest Katie Huff untangle the complex path to market, identify real milestones in licensing and commercialization, and discuss what to watch for as the space accelerates—with a critical look at recent government initiatives, the role of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the difference between true advancement and mere hype.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Basic Path to Market for New Nuclear Reactors

• Essential Steps:
  • Start with a reactor design and site selection.
  • Engage in pre-application discussions with the NRC.
  • Submit detailed safety analyses, site reports, and operational/training plans.
  • Seek approvals in phases: construction permit and operating license.
  • Public meetings, hearings, and iterative technical exchanges characterize the process.
• Licensing Pathways:
  • Part 50: Two-step process, separate construction and operating permits.
  • Part 52: Combined construction and operating license.
  • Part 53: New for advanced reactors (not widely used yet).
• Quote:

  "You’re going to have to start with a design and a site and some pre application engagement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission... All those documents go into the NRC in different forms... and it can take years." — Katie Huff (04:01)

2. The NRC Process: Iterative, Slow, and Complex

• The review process is much more iterative than people outside the field may realize.
• Plenty of back-and-forth with the NRC before even submitting official applications.
• NRC’s pre-application phase involves review, feedback, and sometimes rejections even before formal review begins.
• Quote:

  "At no point, sort of in that process is NRC really issuing official decisions of any kind...Once you submit your application, NRC then decides whether or not to accept that application and start actually doing the review. People do get rejected at the acceptance...if it just doesn’t reflect the level of technical depth." — Katie Huff (07:14)

3. Design Certification vs. Construction Permits

• Design Certification: Focused solely on the reactor, not site-specific. Allows for easier deployment in new sites once granted.
• Construction Permit: Site-specific. Requires environmental and safety evaluations.
• Recent Examples:
  • NuScale became the first SMR to receive design approval.
  • Oklo’s combined license application was rejected due to missing information.
• Quote:

  "It's technically called a design certification...hyper focused on the reactor... what you can then take that design certification and not have to sort of re review the reactor every time you have a new place you want to put it." — Katie Huff (08:54)

4. What Slows Down the Process?

• Major bottlenecks can come from environmental review (NEPA process), even for non-reactor issues.
• The NRC is under pressure to move faster but struggles due to staff shortages and new federal directives.
• Political changes have affected NRC staffing and processes, with recent acts (e.g., the ADVANCE Act) aiming to accelerate licensing.
• Quote:

  "There's pressure for the NRC to move faster. There's not evidence that the NRC is moving faster, and it may be difficult for the NRC to move faster given a bunch of other constraints." — Shayle Kann (16:16)

5. Notable Upcoming Milestones & Announcements

• Significant upcoming milestones are construction permits for companies like X Energy, Kairos, and TerraPower.
• Some companies are beginning non-nuclear site construction ahead of permit approvals—permitted at their own risk.
• Quote:

  "That's where you really start to get excited. Some reactors have received early construction permission... without building anything nuclear." — Katie Huff (19:21)

6. DOE's Test Reactor Criticality Challenge

• The Department of Energy picked 11 early-stage companies, with a goal for at least 3 to achieve "criticality" by July 4, 2026.
• Definitions Matter!
  • "Criticality" can mean several things. Many "criticality" achievements (like zero-power criticality) are less meaningful major milestones than full-power operational criticality.
• Set deadlines may be more aspirational than realistic; achieving hot full power criticality typically takes years.
• Quote:

  "I would be careful not to sort of buy into the hype of any kind of criticality that’s caveated by things like zero power or cold zero power. I want to see myself criticality at what's called hot full power." — Katie Huff (21:01)

7. Interpreting Company Announcements: Signal vs. Noise

• Submissions of key regulatory documents (construction permit application, safety analysis report, operating license application) are the real signals.
• Acceptance or approval by the NRC is a serious milestone; memoranda of understanding, press releases, or public meetings are much less meaningful.
• Existence of a reactor factory and partnerships with utilities holding early site permits signal seriousness, especially for microreactors.
• Quote:

  "The lightest signal is we've submitted a letter of intent...The bulk of the work is submitting to the NRC. Once they're approved... those are really big, big signs." — Katie Huff (27:39)

  "I'm waiting for the reactor factory." — Katie Huff (29:59)

8. Microreactors and Licensing

• Current NRC pathways are the same for microreactors, SMRs, and conventional light-water reactors, with some waivers and specific guidance for microreactors.
• NRC has adjusted requirements (e.g., emergency planning zones) sensibly for microreactors.

9. Waste Management Considerations

• New reactors must have a plan for interim spent nuclear fuel storage; long-term U.S. policy is still unsettled.
• Some propose including on-site recycling or partnership facilities, but clarity is still lacking for most new projects.

10. When Will We See New Reactors Live?

• Several companies are "neck and neck" for construction permits of commercial reactors.
• Operational power from new reactor designs could come before 2032—but the first deployments will likely be one-off, followed by a gradual ramp-up.
• Quote:

  "I'm pretty bad at making predictions, but I would be surprised if by 2032 we haven't seen real new advanced reactor electrons on the grid. There may not be many, and it'll probably be just one reactor, but it'll shortly thereafter be followed by...a second or third." — Katie Huff (33:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Real Meaning of Announcements:

  "It's hard to separate signal from noise... what would be signal to you?" — Shayle Kann (27:08)

• On Speed of Progress:

  "Those kinds of deadlines and timelines I've been a little vague about, but basically there were a fleet of executive orders...and that includes some renovation of the way that they think about dose rates." — Katie Huff (12:47)

• On Microreactors:

  "Microreactors in particular do not make sense economically until you're building them in a factory with a plan for shipping those reactors fueled and receiving those reactors, defueling them, those sorts of things. A company that has a big Physical footprint factory...that company is ahead of the game." — Katie Huff (29:59)

Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:18 | Shayle introduces the new nuclear wave and today’s guest | | 04:01 | Katie walks through the reactor commercialization process | | 07:14 | Early NRC interactions and reality of iterative process | | 08:54 | Distinguishing design certification from construction permit| | 12:47 | Changes & pressures at the NRC under new administration | | 16:16 | NRC struggles to move faster amid greater expectations | | 19:21 | Most anticipated near-term milestones: construction permits| | 21:01 | What "criticality" means for test reactors and its value | | 24:41 | Microreactor licensing and unique issues discussed | | 27:39 | Parsing real signals in company announcements | | 31:16 | Waste management and licensing | | 33:15 | Katie's guess on when the first advanced reactors will operate|

Tone & Language

• The tone is straightforward, expert, and occasionally irreverent—equal parts technical and conversational.
• Both host and guest focus on demystifying jargon, clarifying hype from substance, and empowering listeners to spot real progress in the nuclear innovation space.

Conclusion

This episode provides an in-depth and candid look at the road to commercialization for new nuclear reactor designs in the U.S.—from the labyrinthine NRC process, to the importance (and true meaning) of milestones like “criticality,” through to real indicators that companies are making headway. Shayle Kann and Katie Huff offer practical insights for anyone tracking the future of clean nuclear power, clarifying how to see past optimistic press releases and focus on the true signs of progress in the sector.