Speakers say INL and DOE mentoring, plus a streamlined DOE framework, have sped developer progress

Staff member described INL and DOE assistance to developers: "We mentored all the developers. We would do assist visits or go on‑site...we have whole day meetings, virtual meetings, where reviewers ask the developers questions, and that alleviates comments because questions are answered."

A staff member noted the DOE framework authorizes demonstrations under DOE technical standards in some cases rather than following standard NRC licensing routes, and presenters said the critical licensing challenge has been empirically proving and defending safety bases rather than regulatory process alone.