NuScale successfully demonstrates approach that allows its SMR to be safe without need for electrical power WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has concluded that application of NuScale Power's novel safety design approach eliminates the need for class 1E power for its small modular reactor (SMR). Class 1E is the regulatory standard set for the design of safety-related nuclear power plant electrical systems. In its newly released Safety Evaluation Report, the NRC approves NuScale Power's "Safety Classification of Passive Nuclear Power Plant Electrical Systems" Licensing Topical Report, where the company established the bases of how a design can be safe without reliance on any safety-related electrical power. Currently, all nuclear plants in the U.S. are required to have class 1E power supplies to ensure safety. The NRC has limited its approval to only NuScale Power's design.