The CBO's cost estimate for S. 2812, Nuclear Power 2021 Act would authorize appropriations for the Department of Energy (DOE) to enter into cooperative agreements with private-sector entities to develop standard designs for small modular nuclear reactors as well as processes for licensing such reactors with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The bill would authorize appropriation of the necessary sums for DOE to cover up to 50 percent of the cost of developing designs for such reactors and up to 25 percent of the cost to demonstrate licensing processes and would specify a final deadline for all work to be completed by January 1, 2021.
CBO estimates that fully funding S. 2812 would require appropriations totaling $460 million over the 2011-2015 period and an additional $100 million in 2016.
Read full at CBO