NRC approves the first small modular reactor while nuclear waste remains unsolved

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a design for a 77-megawatt small modular reactor, marking the first such commercial approval in the United States. Proponents said the compact design could accelerate nuclear energy deployment. Critics noted that no permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel exists in the United States, and the new approval adds to waste streams without resolving that 70-year-old problem.