Licensing Information and Regulatory Engagement

The University of Illinois is applying to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a Construction Permit for the installation of the NANO KRONOS MMR. This process involves the submission of both an Environmental Report (ER) and a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR). This page contains our progress on these fronts, our regulatory engagement plan, and additional information on the research reactor application process.

What are the ER and PSAR documents?

Engineering HallIn order to obtain a license for non-power reactors, entities such as the University of Illinois must follow the guidelines set forth by the U.S. NRC under NUREG-1537 (see parts one and two below). This set of regulations establishes the information that must be obtained and presented to the NRC for subsequent reviewal of the license application. The environmental report (ER) and preliminary safety analysis report (PSAR) are the primary documents that will be submitted to meet these guidelines. The ER focuses on the selected sites, their natural environments, and the impact of a facility on surrounding communities. The PSAR analyzes the reactor and the support facility itself, along with its safety and control systems.

NUREG-1537 Part 1 NUREG-1537 Part 2

Regulatory Engagement Plan

In July 2025, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign collaberated with NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. to submit an updated Regulatory Engagement Plan for Submittal and Approval of an Application to Construct a new Research Reactor to the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. This Regulatory Engagement Plan includes a project description, the proposed regulatory strategy, anticipated timeline, and additional information. The PDF of the engagement plan is available here:

Regulatory Plan

 

Access Public Documents

The NRC makes available and updates all public documents related to the nation's civilian nuclear projects. To access the NRC's overview of our project, see the left link below. To view all public documentation, access the Web-based ADAMS library on the right. For further research, the project's identification number is NRC Project No. 99902094.

NRC Project Overview     ADAMS Public Library

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