April 10, 2025
Mr. Baird (for himself, Ms. Tenney, and Mr. Harrigan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a working group on the commercialization and industrialization of small modular reactors and to modernize thresholds for electrical output of small modular reactors.
Section 1. Short title; table of contents
(a) Short title
This Act may be cited as the Small Modular Reactor Commercialization Act of 2025
.
(b) Table of contents
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 2. Treatment of modular reactors with increased efficiency
Paragraph (5)(B) of section 170 b. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(b)(5)(B)) is amended by striking 300,000 electrical kilowatts, with a combined rated capacity of not more than 1,300,000 electrical kilowatts
and inserting 500,000 electrical kilowatts, with a combined rated capacity of not more than 1,500,000 electrical kilowatts
.
Sec. 3. Defined small modular reactor output range
Section 40321(a)(5)(A) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18751(a)(5)(A)) is amended by striking 300
and inserting 500
.
Sec. 4. Published guidance on small modular reactors
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Secretary of Energy shall revise Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy guidance relating to maximum electrical output of small modular reactors and microreactors to align such guidance with the definitions of small modular reactor and microreactor in section 7 of this Act.
Sec. 5. Financial assistance eligibility for efficient small modular reactor development, demonstration, and deployment
(a) In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Energy, in providing any funding assistance to support the development, demonstration, or deployment of grid-scale small modular reactors, shall not exclude from award eligibility projects or reactor technologies on the basis that a single reactor unit output exceeds any electrical megawatt threshold between 50 and 500 electrical megawatts.
(b) Treatment of existing programs
Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the authority of the Secretary of Energy to make awards within the explicit scope of Department of Energy solicitations issued prior to the date of enactment of this Act.
Sec. 6. Small modular reactor commercialization and industrialization competitiveness working group
(a) In general
The Secretary of Energy shall establish a working group to be known as the Small Modular Reactor Commercialization and Industrialization Competitiveness Working Group
(in this section referred to as the Working Group
).
(b) Duties
The duties of the Working Group shall include the following:
(1)
To identify small modular reactor technologies the design for which an application has been submitted or received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or a foreign nuclear regulator with a signed memorandum of cooperation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
(2)
To assess, and recommend initiatives to improve, the ability of the United States to—
(A)
serve as the preeminent geography to commercialize small modular reactor technologies after initial or first-of-a-kind deployment; and
(B)
secure and attract long-term manufacturing industrial base investment in small modular reactor fabrication.
(3)
To recommend policy changes that would improve the ability of the United States to host the manufacturing of small modular reactor technologies identified in paragraph (1) that are undergoing first-of-a-kind deployment outside of the United States.
(4)
To assess, and recommend initiatives to improve, workforce readiness in the United States to enable small modular reactor commercialization at scale.
(5)
To identify strategic research objectives supporting industrialization and small modular reactor fabrication cost-reduction following first-of-a-kind reactor deployment.
(c) Chairperson
The Secretary of Energy, or a designee of the Secretary, shall serve as the Chairperson of the Working Group.
(d) Membership
(1) Mandatory members
The Working Group shall be composed of, at a minimum, representatives from—
(A)
the Department of Energy (including, as the Secretary of Energy determines appropriate, offices in such Department, such as the Office of Nuclear Energy and any National Laboratory);
(B)
the Department of Defense;
(C)
the Department of State;
(D)
the Department of Commerce;
(E)
the Department of the Interior;
(F)
the Department of the Treasury; and
(G)
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
(2) Additional members
The Secretary of Energy may add members to the Working Group, as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(e) Annual report
Not later than December 1 of each year through 2030, the Secretary of Energy shall submit a report to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology and Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate on the findings and recommendations of the Working Group.
Sec. 7. Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Advanced nuclear reactor
The term advanced nuclear reactor has the meaning given such term in section 951(b)(1) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16271(b)(1)).
(2) Microreactor
The term microreactor means an advanced nuclear reactor with a rated capacity of less than 50 electrical megawatts.
(3) Small modular reactor
The term small modular reactor means an advanced nuclear reactor—
(A)
with a rated capacity of less than 500 electrical megawatts; and
(B)
that can be constructed and operated in combination with similar reactors at a single site.