Ryan K. Lighty
Ryan K. Lighty represents and advises clients regarding litigation, transactions, and regulatory matters related to the ownership and use of nuclear reactors and nuclear materials. He serves as co-leader of the firm’s Nuclear Working Group and regularly guides clients on complex issues associated with US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing, administrative litigation, and regulatory compliance. His practice is focused primarily on new reactor deployments, operating license renewals, and regulatory consents for transactions involving nuclear assets. In the last decade, Ryan has represented and defended applicants in more administrative litigation proceedings before the NRC than any other lawyer in the United States.
Ryan’s experience with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and working knowledge of the NRC’s technical and financial requirements allow him to assist clients on a wide range of projects, from the development and construction of new reactors to restarts and life extensions for existing ones. He serves on the Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI’s) License Renewal Environmental Task Force and has advised utilities and independent power producers on most of the subsequent license renewal (SLR) applications filed with the NRC to date.
Ryan also serves on NEI’s Siting Task Force for new reactor projects. He regularly counsels a range of clients (including investors, reactor technology vendors, and project sponsors) on NRC requirements associated with construction permits, operating licenses, combined licenses (COLs), early site permits (ESPs), design certifications (DCs), and other regulatory pathways for deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs), advanced reactors, micro-reactors, and large light-water reactors. In addition to guiding many traditional utilities and merchant power generators, he also provides strategic advice to end users regarding the deployment of carbon-free nuclear energy to power data centers, industrial campuses, and other large-load facilities.
Before joining Morgan Lewis, Ryan was an attorney in the NRC’s Office of the General Counsel and served as acting regional counsel in the agency’s Region III office.
