Reliability and Integrity Management Program Implementation Approach

Nuclear energy is the most reliable and environmentally sustainable energy source available today. In the United States (U.S.), nuclear-generated power accounts for approximately 20 percent of total electricity and over 55 percent of clean energy. New advanced reactors have enormous potential to help further decarbonize energy market, enhance grid resiliency, create new jobs, and build stronger economy. More than 50 new reactors are being developed in the U.S. and the Federal Government realizes an urgent need to deploy nuclear technologies to meet country's energy, environmental, and national security goals [1]. As such, the U.S. Department of Energy launched multiple programs to support advanced reactor deployment. The research described in this paper explores implementation strategies for Reliability and Integrity Management Program that directly supports the DOE goal to enable the near-term deployment of the advanced reactor technologies. The project is conducted under the Regulatory Development Program for advanced reactors sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.