Nuclear licensing: a structured and committed path for NAAREA
In the nuclear sector, all projects must go through a crucial stage: the licensing process, which is based on two pillars that are inextricably linked – nuclear safety and nuclear security.
The licensing process with regard to safety sets standards for the entire lifecycle of a reactor, from its design to dismantling. For an innovative company like NAAREA, these standards do not merely represent a regulatory obligation, but are also a strategic lever for structuring, foresight and credibility.
An essential requirement for safety and trust
The nuclear licensing process involves a series of technical assessments carried out by the safety authorities – in France, namely ASNR, the French Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (formerly the ASN and IRSN). The aim of these assessments is to demonstrate that the proposed reactor meets the strictest requirements in terms of safety and risk management.
This long, rigorous and iterative process not only ensures protection of people and the environment, but the soundness of the project as well. It constitutes an indispensable condition for the social acceptability and longevity of nuclear technologies.
Advanced reactors: rethinking frameworks, without compromising standards
Next-generation reactors do not always fit into the framework of technical standards designed for pressurized water reactors. These technological innovations call for adapting assessment approaches, identifying new reference situations, and designing specific modelling tools. To better support the emergence of such projects and allocate resources in proportion to their level of maturity, ASNR has set up a framework of incremental technical exchanges organized into four phases. For all project developers, including NAAREA, ASNR provides regular, up-to-date monitoring of projects’ advancement through these different phases and publishes their status transparently on its website.
Phase 1: screening
During an initial exchange, the project developer presents ASNR with the main outline of its project, including technical characteristics, the state of progress on the reactor design and safety demonstration, the project development schedule, and the developer’s technical and financial capacities. If ASNR deems the maturity of the project to be sufficient, the project can move into phase 2, the preparatory review phase.
Phase 2: project preparatory review
This phase involves a series of topical meetings between the project developer and ASNR. The aim is to share an overall view of the project, explain design choices, take stock of the state of knowledge available (or to be acquired), and identify the main safety approaches. This round of meetings generally concludes with a summary seminar, the point at which a project is moved into the next phase. For NAAREA, this seminar was held on October 2024, with the involvement of 50 employees.
Phase 3: pre-licensing of the fundamental safety options
Before submitting an application for authorization, a project developer can ask ASNR for an official and public opinion on certain fundamental technical aspects of the project, in accordance with Article R. 593-14 of the French Environmental Code (Code de l’Environnement). This phase enables targeted expert assessments to be undertaken on high-stakes subjects identified during the previous phase. ASNR recommends that innovative project developers take advantage of this phase. NAAREA made this strategic choice for the development of its prototype.
Phase 4: assessment of the creation authorization application
Once the reactor design is sufficiently detailed, the creation authorization application (DAC) can be officially submitted. This phase includes a comprehensive technical assessment of the project.
At this stage, the project developer becomes a nuclear operator, which entails increased oversight of its management systems and its ability to manage outsourcing.
A structured and proactive approach at NAAREA
Aware of the strategic importance of licensing, NAAREA has incorporated these considerations into the development of its molten salt fast reactor from the outset. Rather than waiting for the completion of the R&D phases, NAAREA opted to engage in early, open and continued dialogue with ASNR with a view to mutual exchange and constructive cooperation to eliminate risks. This proactive approach makes it possible to better anticipate regulatory requirements, while strengthening the project’s technical robustness and credibility.
Our approach is based on three pillars:
- Regular, open dialogue with ASNR, to share our technological vision, test our safety hypotheses and incorporate initial feedback.
- Integration of nuclear safety expertise at the heart of the project team, capable of leading the development of the safety demonstration dossier from the early stages.
- Continuous anticipation of regulatory developments, in keeping with international standards and best practices observed in European and global projects.
A collective challenge for the French nuclear industry
NAAREA has not only chosen to develop a breakthrough technology, but also to build an industrial model aligned with safety requirements. Far from being an obstacle, licensing is seen as an accelerator of rigorous standards, performance and maturity.
With this mindset, the microreactor that NAAREA is developing has been designed to be versatile: at once an experimental, irradiation and research reactor, it embodies a comprehensive approach at the crossroads of technological innovation and high standards of safety. This approach requires an ongoing stringent commitment to continuously documenting, demonstrating and improving.
While Europe has taken on the task of developing a common strategy for advanced reactors, and France aspires to play a lead role in this process, it is essential for the entire ecosystem to advance in a structured and concerted manner.
To innovate, we need to structure. To accelerate, we need regulation.
