After a lot of technical discussions, the NRC is ready to take the next step in considering whether GE-Hitachi’s Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor meets our standards for U.S. use.
We’ve been reviewing this new reactor design for several years. This design includes new types of safety systems that would use gravity to direct cooling water into the core during an emergency, even when electrical power is lost. Our review path took a major turn in 2011.
In March of that year we issued our technical conclusions on the design. The NRC then drafted a regulation that would approve the ESBWR, but later in 2011, we received additional information related to the steam dryer design that made us pause. (The steam dryer prevents excess moisture from damaging the plant’s turbine.)
We spent 2012 and 2013 making sure we had all the necessary information from GE-Hitachi on the ESBWR steam dryer design. We’ve completed the review of the additional steam dryer design information and now have what we need to complete the design certification.
The NRC expects to seek public comment on a supplemental proposed certification rule next month and to send a draft final rule to the five-member Commission in July. This process could lead to final certification of the ESBWR later this year.
Utilities interested in new reactors can reference NRC-certified designs to simplify parts of their license reviews. The utilities applying for licenses to build ESBWRs, Detroit Edison in Michigan and Dominion in Virginia, will have to update their applications to account for any changes to the design.
Our letter to GE-Hitachi on these developments is available in the NRC’s electronic document database.
U.S. NRC Blog 
unique and useful post
After several years, the Staff is finally “considering” finishing up? Seriously? The BWR has been around for a while, and there’s no doubt any new variant of it is far, far safer than any of the hundreds of coal, hydro or gas fired plants operating in the US right now. Before the ESBWR meets your standards, how many wind turbines and gas plants will be built in the US? How many NPP will the Chinese put up? Will the Russians make your never ending gold standard reviews irrelevant to anyone outside the US?
Have a look at the big picture.
Stated “We’ve been reviewing this new reactor design for several years. This design includes new types of safety systems that would use gravity to direct cooling water into the core during an emergency, even when electrical power is lost. Our review path took a major turn in 2011”
In the 60’s the nuclear industry promoted a Gravity feed system that all plants would have for insured safety but that changed, I believe because of cost and it will probably change when costs over run.