DOE Updates Rules On Nuclear Exports

The Department of Energy last week streamlined its rules allowing the export of civilian nuclear power technologies. DOE updated a set of rules from 1986 to allow the beleaguered U.S. nuclear power industry to expand its international market. Domestic demand for nuclear power technology has been curtailed by the availability of inexpensive natural gas for electricity generation. The Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry trade association, welcomed the rule changes. U.S. nuclear energy companies are eager to cash in on an international market that the Department of Commerce has pegged at up to $740 billion over the next decade. The National Nuclear Security Administration, a semiautonomous agency within DOE, controls technology exports while supporting nuclear nonproliferation. The streamlined rules will require special federal authorization for exports to Russia, India, and China.