The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will proceed with a technical review of NuScale Power's small modular reactor (SMR) design, the company said on Thursday.

NuScale said it had received notice that is design had been accepted for review, gaining acceptance through a design certification application process.

“By accepting the completed application for review, the NRC confirms that NuScale's submission addresses all NRC requirements and contains sufficient technical information to conduct the review,” said the company, which is majority owned by Fluor.

NuScale submitted its SMR design to the U.S. regulator on December 31, 2016, the first SMR design for commercial applications to be submitted in the United States. “The exceptional news that the NRC was able to accept our application during the 60-day docketing review period is validation of NuScale's hard work over the past eight years,” said Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins in a statement.

“This is a great next step for a new U.S.-based nuclear technology and a step that affirms NuScale as a true leader in SMR technology development,” Hopkins said.