• The Department of Energy is seeking applications for certification and sealed bid submissions under the Civil Nuclear Credit Program and has released guidance describing the timelines and requirements to become a certified nuclear reactor.
• This first award period will obligate up to $1.2 billion and is limited to nuclear reactors that are projected to cease operations immanently and with a high degree of certainty.
• Only nuclear reactors that apply and receive certification will be able to participate in the bid process and auction and be eligible to receive credits.

Owners or operators of nuclear reactors that wish to be certified to receive credits under the Civil Nuclear Credit Program should review DOE’s guidance and plan to submit their applications by May 19, 2022.

On April 20, DOE announced that it was seeking applications and sealed bid submissions from owners or operators of nuclear reactors which wish to participate in the CNC Program. Certification for DOE’s first award period is limited to nuclear reactors that have already publicly announced their intention to cease operations. Future award periods are estimated to commence in the first quarter of FY 2023 and will not be limited to nuclear reactors that have publicly announced their intentions to cease operations.

DOE also released guidance documents outlining its process for implementing the CNC Program and providing instructions on how applicants may apply for the program. DOE’s guidance documents describe the timelines, deliverables and other requirements for owners or operators of nuclear reactors that are eligible to become certified nuclear reactors and provide instructions on formulating and submitting sealed bids to receive CNC credit allocations. The guidance documents also clarify the certification criteria, application content requirements, evaluation process and methodologies, eligibility periods and anticipated timelines of the CNC Program. A detailed Certification Application and Bid Submission Checklist for the first award period is included in Appendix A to the guidance.

The deadline for submission of certification applications and sealed bids for the first award period is 23:59 MDT on May 19, 2022. Application information and bid submissions should be submitted here. Pillsbury’s top-rated nuclear team stands ready to assist with such efforts.

[View source.]