Nuclear Innovation Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Nuclear Innovation Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Advanced fission reactor.--The term ``advanced fission 
        reactor'' means a nuclear fission reactor with significant 
        improvements over the most recent generation of nuclear 
        reactors, which may include inherent safety features, lower 
        waste yields, greater fuel utilization, superior reliability, 
        resistance to proliferation, and increased thermal efficiency.
            (2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Energy.
            (3) National laboratories.--The term ``National 
        Laboratories'' has the meaning given the term in section 2 of 
        the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.

SEC. 3. HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTATION AND SUPPORTIVE RESEARCH.

    (a) Modeling and Simulation.--The Secretary shall carry out a 
program to enhance the Nation's capabilities to develop new reactor 
technologies through high-performance computation modeling and 
simulation techniques. This program shall coordinate with relevant 
Federal agencies through the National Strategic Computing Initiative 
created under Executive Order 13702 (July 29, 2015) while taking into 
account the following objectives:
            (1) Utilizing expertise from the private sector, 
        universities, and National Laboratories to develop 
        computational software and capabilities that prospective users 
        may access to accelerate research and development of advanced 
        fission reactor systems, nuclear fusion systems, and reactor 
        systems for space exploration.
            (2) Developing computational tools to simulate and predict 
        nuclear phenomena that may be validated through physical 
        experimentation.
            (3) Increasing the utility of the Department's research 
        infrastructure by coordinating with the Advanced Scientific 
        Computing Research program within the Office of Science.
            (4) Leveraging experience from the Energy Innovation Hub 
        for Modeling and Simulation.
            (5) Ensuring that new experimental and computational tools 
        are accessible to relevant research communities.
    (b) Supportive Research Activities.--The Secretary shall consider 
support for additional research activities to maximize the utility of 
its research facilities, including physical processes to simulate 
degradation of materials and behavior of fuel forms and for validation 
of computational tools.

SEC. 4. ENABLING NUCLEAR ENERGY INNOVATION.

    (a) National Reactor Innovation Center.--The Secretary shall carry 
out a program to enable the testing and demonstration of reactor 
concepts to be proposed and funded by the private sector. The Secretary 
shall leverage the technical expertise of relevant Federal agencies and 
National Laboratories in order to minimize the time required to enable 
construction and operation of privately funded experimental reactors at 
National Laboratories or other Department-owned sites while ensuring 
reasonable safety for persons working within these sites. Such reactors 
shall operate to meet the following objectives:
            (1) Enabling physical validation of novel reactor concepts.
            (2) Resolving technical uncertainty and increasing 
        practical knowledge relevant to safety, resilience, security, 
        and functionality of first-of-a-kind reactor concepts.
            (3) General research and development to improve nascent 
        technologies.
    (b) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the 
National Laboratories, relevant Federal agencies, and other 
stakeholders, shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate a report assessing the Department's 
capabilities to authorize, host, and oversee privately funded fusion 
and advanced fission experimental reactors as described under 
subsection (a). The report shall address the following:
            (1) The Department's safety review and oversight 
        capabilities, including options to leverage expertise from the 
        Nuclear Regulatory Commission and National Laboratories.
            (2) Potential sites capable of hosting activities described 
        under subsection (a).
            (3) The efficacy of the Department's available contractual 
        mechanisms to partner with the private sector and Federal 
        agencies, including cooperative research and development 
        agreements, strategic partnership projects, and agreements for 
        commercializing technology.
            (4) Potential cost structures related to physical security, 
        decommissioning, liability, and other long term project costs.
            (5) Other challenges or considerations identified by the 
        Secretary.

Summary: Nuclear Innovation Act This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to carry out a program for enhancing the U.S. capability to develop new reactor technologies through high-performance computation modeling and simulation techniques. Such program shall coordinate with relevant federal agencies through the National Strategic Computing Initiative while taking into account specified objectives. DOE shall also carry out a program to:  enable the testing and demonstration of reactor concepts proposed and funded by the private sector, and leverage the technical expertise of relevant federal agencies and national laboratories to minimize the time required to enable construction and operation of privately funded experimental reactors at national laboratories or other DOE-owned sites.   These reactors shall operate to:  enable physical validation of novel reactor concepts; resolve technical uncertainty and increase practical knowledge relevant to safety, resilience, security, and functionality of first-of-a-kind reactor concepts; and  generate research and development to improve nascent technologies.