Project Locations

Microreactor Siting Process

In the United States, the deployment of a nuclear facility is a major federal action. Selection of a nuclear reactor site must be vetted and approved by regulators such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), other national and state regulators, and public utility commissions. Site selection is subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and all other applicable laws and regulations. NEPA requires the assessment of a primary site and alternative sites. A key aspect of consideration by the NRC will be to confirm that the license applicant includes a large enough sample size to ensure environmental diversity, and that sufficient viable alternative sites are appropriately included. 

The NRC provides guidance for the compliance with environmental regulations set forth in NEPA in Regulatory Guide (RG) 4.2, Revision 3 Preparation of Environmental Reports and in guidance for NRC Staff in NUREG-1555, Standard Review Plans for Environmental Reviews for Nuclear Power Plants, Section 9.3. The Microreactor Demonstration Project used the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) siting guide, "Advanced Nuclear Technology: Site Selection and Evaluation Criteria for New Nuclear Energy Generation Facilities". Organizations have successfully used the EPRI Siting Guide methodology for nearly 30 years to evaluate new nuclear plant siting options. 

The siting procedure consists of five primary process steps which align with the guidance for the site selection process set forth in NUREG-1555 and RG 4.2.

1. Region of Interest (ROI) - The ROI derives from the specific project goals and objectives, and must be large enough such that it does not exclude viable locations where the project objectives can be achieved.
2. Candidate Areas - The first step is to employ an avoidance screening process to eliminate areas in which it is not feasible to site a nuclear facility due to regulatory, institutional, facility design, and/or environmental constraints.   
3. Potential Sites - The candidate areas are optimized with respect to cost and environmental considerations to identify favorable sites to host the nuclear facility.
4. Candidate Sites - The goal of this step is to show and rank a relatively small number of candidate sites for a more detailed study and to identify the proposed and alternative sites. 
5. Proposed Site and Alternative Sites - The proposed and alternate sides are determined based on the project's goals, characteristics and knowledge of the candidate sites, and confidence that the site can be demonstrated as licensable. 

Project Location

The specific objective of the siting process is to identify a site that best meets the goals of the Illinois Microreactor Demonstration Project. The major goals of this project are the following:

1. Demonstrate that a microreactor can be sited with public support, built, and safely operated within a relatively populated urban area—such as a university campus.

2. Demonstrate that a micro-reactor can be connected to an existing non-nuclear facility to provide additional options and benefits to the community. 

3. Site and operate a state-of-the-art micro-modular reactor that will be available for research, and training the next generation of nuclear engineers.

Research reactors on campuses have historically been a powerful driver of public engagement. Their low risk profile and variable operational posture make them accessible to the public, valuable to the communities in which they are embedded, and underpinned by trusted university researchers. For maximum impact, microreactor demonstrations should prioritize sites where the public can witness, understand, benefit, and recognize the case for nuclear power. 

The entire State of Illinois was identified as the Region of Interest. The screening evaluation determined that UIUC best meets the project goals due to previously operating a research reactor, and the active Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering (NPRE) that would provide the necessary students, staff, and faculty needed for the project.

The map below shows the four candidate sites on the University of Illinois campus that were further evaluated and the proposed site that was ultimately ruled to be most suitable for the project. 

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