42 U.S.C. § 16272: Reactor concepts research, development, demonstration, and commercial application

reliability; capacity; component aging; safety; physical security and security costs; plant lifetime; operations and maintenance costs, including by utilizing risk-informed systems analysis; the ability for plants to operate flexibly; nuclear integrated energy system applications described in subsection (c); efficiency; environmental impacts; and resilience. Not later than 1 year after August 9, 2022 , the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, shall evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of establishing and, if feasible, is authorized to establish an isotope demonstration subprogram of the program established under paragraph (1) to support the development and commercial demonstration of critical radioactive and stable isotope production in existing commercial nuclear power plants. The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, shall consult with the Director of the Office of Science in carrying out the evaluation under subparagraph (A). In this paragraph, the term “critical radioactive and stable isotope” has the meaning given the term in section 18649(a) of this title . The Secretary shall submit annually a public report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate documenting funds spent under the program that describes program activities, objectives, and outcomes, including those that could benefit the entirety of the existing reactor fleet, such as with respect to aging management and related sustainability concerns, and identifying funds awarded to private entities. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program under this subsection $55,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. The Secretary shall carry out a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application to support advanced reactor technologies. are economically competitive with other electric power generation plants; have higher efficiency, lower cost, less environmental impacts, increased resilience, and improved safety; use fuels that are proliferation resistant and have reduced production of high-level waste per unit of output; and use advanced instrumentation and monitoring systems; consult with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on appropriate metrics to consider for the criteria specified in subparagraph (A); radiation fluence; temperature; pressure; and corrosion; support research and development to aid in the qualification of advanced fuels, including fabrication techniques; support activities that address near-term challenges in modeling and simulation to enable accelerated design of and licensing of advanced nuclear reactors, including the identification of tools and methodologies for validating such modeling and simulation efforts; develop technologies, including technologies to manage, reduce, or reuse nuclear waste; currently operational research reactors at the National Laboratories and institutions of higher education; hot cell research facilities; a versatile fast neutron source; and advanced coolant testing facilities, including coolants such as lead, sodium, gas, and molten salt; improve scientific understanding of nonlight water coolant physics and chemistry; develop advanced sensors and control systems, including the identification of tools and methodologies for validating such sensors and systems; investigate advanced manufacturing and advanced construction techniques and materials to reduce the cost of advanced nuclear reactors, including the use of digital twins and of strategies to implement project and construction management best practices, and study the effects of radiation and corrosion on materials created with these techniques; consult with the Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration to integrate reactor safeguards and security into design; support efforts to reduce any technical barriers that would prevent commercial application of advanced nuclear energy systems; and develop various safety analyses and emergency preparedness and response methodologies. The Secretary shall coordinate with individuals engaged in the private sector and individuals who are experts in nuclear nonproliferation, environmental and public health and safety, and economics to advance the development of various designs of advanced nuclear reactors. In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary shall convene an advisory committee of such individuals and such committee shall submit annually a report to the relevant committees of Congress with respect to the progress of the program. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program under this subsection $55,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both the power and nonpower sectors; and maximize energy production and efficiency. relevant program offices within the Department of Energy; National Laboratories; institutions of higher education; and the private sector. desalination technologies and processes; hydrogen or other liquid and gaseous fuel or chemical production; heat for industrial processes; district heating; heat or electricity generation and storage; carbon capture, use, utilization, and storage; microgrid or island applications; integrated systems modeling, analysis, and optimization, inclusive of different configurations of integrated energy systems; and integrated design, planning, building, and operation of systems with existing infrastructure, including interconnection requirements with the electric grid, as appropriate. $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.