Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Description: The video recording of RIC 2025 Technical Session: T7 - The Future of Fusion Power on the Grid: Building a Flexible, Resilient Regulatory Framework for Commercial Deployment of Fusion Machines. In April 2023, the NRC staff had been directed by the Commission to regulate near-term fusion systems under the byproduct material framework in 10 CFR Part 30 and approved a limited-scope rulemaking. The staff drafted a technology-neutral proposed rule and licensing guide, which was submitted to the Commission in October 2024. Given the flexibility of 10 CFR Part 30 to safely regulate a wide range of radioactive material uses with varying degrees of radiological hazards, the NRC and Agreement State staff drafted a risk-informed draft rule and a single guidance document to cover the diversity of fusion system designs being considered by commercial fusion companies.
With the passage of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Energy (ADVANCE) Act in July 2024, the NRC conducted a study to identify an approach to licensing design-specific fusion machines for mass manufacturing that reflected risk- and performance-based insights and identified an estimated timeframe for establishing this licensing framework. In this session, the panel discussed the status of the NRC's efforts, insights, and perspectives in developing a regulatory framework for the mass production and deployment of commercial fusion machines, the current state of fusion commercialization, and the role of innovation in enabling that commercialization.
SPEAKER(S):
David A. Wright, Chairman, NRC
Opening Remarks
Andrew Proffitt, Regulatory Policy Lead, Helion Energy
A Vision for the Scaled Deployment of Fusion Energy
Jennifer Ganten, Chief Global Affairs Officer, Commonwealth Fusion Systems
The Path to Commercial Fusion Energy
Duncan White, Senior Health Physicist, Materials Safety and Licensing Branch, Division of Material Safety, Security, and Tribal Programs, NMSS/NRC
Regulatory Perspectives on the Commercial Deployment of Fusion Machines
Patrick White, Research Director, Nuclear Innovation Alliance
Global Fusion Energy Deployment Through Harmonizable and Scalable Regulation
SESSION COORDINATOR(S):
Edward Harvey, Senior Health Physicist, Materials Safety and Licensing Branch, Division of Material Safety, Security, and Tribal Programs, NMSS/NRC e-mail: Edward.Harvey@nrc.gov
Description: The video recording of RIC 2025 Technical Session: T7 - The Future of Fusion Power on the Grid: Building a Flexible, Resilient Regulatory Framework for Commercial Deployment of Fusion Machines. In April 2023, the NRC staff had been directed by the Commission to regulate near-term fusion systems under the byproduct material framework in 10 CFR Part 30 and approved a limited-scope rulemaking. The staff drafted a technology-neutral proposed rule and licensing guide, which was submitted to the Commission in October 2024. Given the flexibility of 10 CFR Part 30 to safely regulate a wide range of radioactive material uses with varying degrees of radiological hazards, the NRC and Agreement State staff drafted a risk-informed draft rule and a single guidance document to cover the diversity of fusion system designs being considered by commercial fusion companies.
With the passage of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Energy (ADVANCE) Act in July 2024, the NRC conducted a study to identify an approach to licensing design-specific fusion machines for mass manufacturing that reflected risk- and performance-based insights and identified an estimated timeframe for establishing this licensing framework. In this session, the panel discussed the status of the NRC's efforts, insights, and perspectives in developing a regulatory framework for the mass production and deployment of commercial fusion machines, the current state of fusion commercialization, and the role of innovation in enabling that commercialization.
SPEAKER(S):
David A. Wright, Chairman, NRC
Opening Remarks
Andrew Proffitt, Regulatory Policy Lead, Helion Energy
A Vision for the Scaled Deployment of Fusion Energy
Jennifer Ganten, Chief Global Affairs Officer, Commonwealth Fusion Systems
The Path to Commercial Fusion Energy
Duncan White, Senior Health Physicist, Materials Safety and Licensing Branch, Division of Material Safety, Security, and Tribal Programs, NMSS/NRC
Regulatory Perspectives on the Commercial Deployment of Fusion Machines
Patrick White, Research Director, Nuclear Innovation Alliance
Global Fusion Energy Deployment Through Harmonizable and Scalable Regulation
SESSION COORDINATOR(S):
Edward Harvey, Senior Health Physicist, Materials Safety and Licensing Branch, Division of Material Safety, Security, and Tribal Programs, NMSS/NRC e-mail: Edward.Harvey@nrc.gov
