The US Navy could be quite quick building reactors and innovating, because it didn't have to go through the same amount of regulation. They've operated lots and lots of reactors with very little problems for decades.
Go figure when the government owns the reactor and hires technicians to maintain them, they can be built "quickly".
In an earlier post here
> The truly unique feature of US nuclear power is the unlimited power that was given to federal regulators.
> [...] Congress had effectively told the regulator make the rules up as you go. This meant the regulator had no problem changing the rules. A design that was legal at the start of construction, could be declared illegal any time thereafter.
The solution may be that the federal government owns the plant and contracts out the work. Ultimately, the government would have to answer to itself about regulation changes.
It's because the US Navy can just decide to do it without years of red tape and mountains of paperwork. National security cuts through the red tape.
I don't think the government owning civilian reactors would help if they don't reform the process that means it takes 10+ years and millions of pages of documentation to get anything done.
In an earlier post here
> The truly unique feature of US nuclear power is the unlimited power that was given to federal regulators.
> [...] Congress had effectively told the regulator make the rules up as you go. This meant the regulator had no problem changing the rules. A design that was legal at the start of construction, could be declared illegal any time thereafter.
The solution may be that the federal government owns the plant and contracts out the work. Ultimately, the government would have to answer to itself about regulation changes.