Westinghouse announced that a topical report on its Advanced Doped Pellet Technology (Adopt) nuclear fuel has been accepted for review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, calling the decision a “major achievement for the advanced fuel portfolio Westinghouse is developing as part of our EnCore fuel programme.”

The company submitted the report in May of last year, requesting approval by February 2022. In a June 2020 letter to Westinghouse, the NRC said it had carried out an acceptance review and found that the material presented is “sufficient to begin our review”. It said it expects to issue a draft safety evaluation by 30 August 2021.

In the 92-page topical report Westinghouse says Adopt fuel is a direct replacement for standard uranium dioxide (UO2) fuel and provides enhanced fuel pellet properties to enable higher burnup and improved accident tolerance.