Labs Anchor Advanced‑Reactor Oversight

Sandia’s MELCOR code and decades of reactor consequence analysis are being extended to model advanced reactors and fuel‑cycle facilities. That technical work is now a prerequisite for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to evaluate and regulate many non‑light‑water designs. — Concentrating regulatory capability in specialized lab modeling creates a potential bottleneck and political leverage point for the pace and shape of advanced‑reactor deployment and public trust.