The project management strategic element focuses on developing guidance for project management processes, methods, and tools for new advanced reactor power plant projects. This includes contract, scope, schedule, cost, quality, human resources, communication, and risk management. The desired outcome is to provide resources for organizations and project managers to execute advanced reactor projects on time and on budget with safety, sufficient quality, and regulatory compliance.
Key Issue: Insufficient Processes, Methods, and Tools to Manage Large Projects
The key challenge is that management of large, complex projects involves significant funding, a large workforce, regulatory and governmental oversight, and public engagement. The anticipated volume of advanced reactor projects also makes delivering new projects a challenge due to competing resources. The action to address this challenge is to research the project management processes, methods, and tools available for management of large complex projects.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Improve effective management of large projects: Research the project management processes, methods, and tools available for management of large, complex projects. Determine which ones require further development, and work with the appropriate parties (the industry, software developers, and so on) to make these a reality. Develop a guideline on implementing these processes, methods, and tools for advanced reactor projects.
Action Owner: NEI, INPO, and EPRI with owner/operators
Need Date: 2025 for guidance, continuous effort to improve
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: EPRI and NEI developed a series of guides and reports on implementing processes, methods, and tools for support of new nuclear projects.
EPRI created a Project Development and Execution guideline27 that takes the owner/operator through the process of executing a new nuclear project. In 2025, a complete set of sub-guidelines in various topic areas will be published to accompany the guideline
NEI 20-0828 compiles and describes construction best practices that will reduce construction risk and better enable projects to be built on time and on budget. It is supported by five implementation guides diving deep into various topics, including but not limited to organizational challenges, extreme ownership, project management, cost and schedule reliability, and construction planning considerations.
These guidelines set the principles new projects can rely on to be successful. There will be a continued effort to improve these tools with updated versions of the high-level reports to be issued in the next couple of years. There are also ongoing benchmarking efforts to expand this toolbox.
27Advanced Nuclear Technology: New Nuclear Plant Project Development and Execution Guideline, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2023. 3002026494
28NEI 20-08 Strategic Project Management Lessons Learned & Best Practices for New Nuclear Power Construction. NEI, Washington, D.C., 2020
Key Issue: New Advanced Reactor Technologies
The key challenge is that advanced reactors projects have a significant number of new technologies, which come with unique risks—particularly for the first project implementation. The action should determine how to manage these projects, including risk identification and strategies to resolve those risks.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Improve effective project management guidance for projects with significant new technology: Develop guidance on how to manage these projects, including risk identification and strategies to resolve those risks.
Action Owner: NEI and EPRI with owner/operators
Need Date: 2025 for guidance, continuous effort to improve
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: Implementation guide IG 4 for NEI 20-08 was issued in March 2024 and addresses FOAK planning considerations.
Key Issue: Owner/operator Capability for Multifaceted Advanced Reactors Projects
The key challenge is that many potential owners might have a knowledge gap with multifaceted advanced reactor projects, which will pose a challenge to the management of the project. The action to address this challenge is to form owner/operator user groups to develop and identify the critical lessons learned from past projects and how to apply them appropriately to future advanced reactor project management teams. These user groups need to distribute this information across the industry and make a clear guideline that others can follow for project management planning.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Bolster potential owner/operators’ project capabilities to the task of deploying advanced reactors: Provide training on how to build capabilities in an owner/operator, including key elements in developing an organization capable of safely and reliably commissioning a nuclear plant.
Action Owner: NEI, EPRI and INPO
Need Date: 2025 for guidance, continuous effort to improve
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: EPRI’s New Plant Technical Assistance initiative provides targeted support during critical phases of the new plant lifecycle. This is accomplished by conducting reviews at project initiation as well as prior to the start of construction and finally prior to commencing startup activities.
Key Issue: Selecting Appropriate Contracting Strategy
The key challenge is that ownership groups will be diverse, and owners need to be familiar with various contracting strategies to be able to choose the best one for their project. The action to address this challenge is to develop guidance on options for contracting strategies for advanced reactor projects that owners, developers, advanced reactor suppliers, and vendors can apply.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Develop project-appropriate contracting strategies: Develop guidance on options for contracting strategies for advanced reactor projects that owners, developers, advanced reactor suppliers, and vendors can apply. Research organizations with expertise in contract strategies for nuclear development and construction should investigate contracting strategies that ensure equitable risk sharing and accountability among stakeholders.
Action Owner: NEI, EPRI with owner/operators, advanced reactor vendors, and construction companies
Need Date: 2025 for guidance, continuous effort to improve
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: EPRI’s Project Development and Execution guideline and NEI’s IG 02 initiative provides an overview of different contracting models along with the tradeoffs associated with these models.