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The human factor in licensing and operating the next generation of nuclear plants
As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.
Mianzhen Mo (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Umang Agarwal (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Zhijiang Chen (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Mungo Frost (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Edna R. Toro (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Nicholas Hartley (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Fuhao Ji (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Benjamin Ofori-Okai (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Silvia Pandolfi (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Alexander Reid (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Eric Sung (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Peihao Sun (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Xiaozhe Shen (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Katie Wootten (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Ling Wang (SLAC Nat'l Accelerator Lab), Siegfried Glenzer (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), Xijie Wang (University of Duisburg-Essen), Klaus Sokolowski-Tinten (University of Duisburg-Essen), Yongqiang Wang (LANL), Peter Hosemann (Univ. California, Berkeley), Weicheng Zhong (ORNL), Erki Metsanurk (Uppsala University), Artur Tamm (University of Tartu), Alfredo A. Correa (LLNL)
Transactions | Volume 132 | Number 1 | June 2025 | Pages 308-309
