Home > Nuclear Reactors > New Reactors > Regulations, Guidance, and Communications

Regulations, Guidance, and Communications for New Reactors

On this page:

• Existing Regulatory Requirements and Guidance Documents
• Ongoing Rulemaking and Regulatory Guidance Development
• Enhancing the Environmental Review Process
• Other Resources

Existing Regulatory Requirements and Guidance Documents

NRC conducts its new reactor licensing activities through a combination of regulatory requirements and regulatory guidance. Regulatory requirements are contained in the Code of Federal Regulations. Regulatory guidance is generally contained in Regulatory Guides, Standard Review Plans, and Interim Staff Guidance. In addition, several matters related to new reactor licensing have been addressed in Commission policy documents. The links below provide information on these areas.

Governing Regulations

• NRC Regulations, Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (Includes all Parts in Title 10)
• 10 CFR Part 51, "Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions"
• 10 CFR Part 52, "Early Site Permits; Standard Design Certifications; and Combined Licenses for Nuclar Power Plants"

Guidance Documents

• Collection of NRC Regulatory Guides
• RG-1.206, "Regulatory Guide for Combined License Applications for Nuclear Power Plants"
• Regulatory Guides for Environmental and Siting
• NRO-REG-100, "Acceptance Review Process for Design Certification and Combined License Applications"
• NUREG-0800, "Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants"
• NUREG-1555, "Standard Review Plan for Environmental Reviews for Nuclear Power Plants"
• Interim Staff Guidance
• RS-002, "Guidance for Processing Applications for Early Site Permits"

Ongoing Rulemaking and Regulatory Guidance Development

The NRC is proposing several changes to its regulations that will affect the design, licensing, and operation of new reactors. These and other proposed rule changes, as well as changes to associated NRC regulatory guides, are accessible through the Rulemaking page on NRC’s website. Of particular interest to new reactors are the aircraft impact assessment rulemaking and power reactor security requirements. The links below provide additional information on these topics.

• Rulemakings (Covers all NRC Rulemaking Activities)
• Consideration of Aircraft Impacts for New Nuclear Power Reactor Designs
• Power Reactor Security Requirements

Enhancing the Environmental Review Process

Under the NRC regulations in 10 CFR Part 52 and in accordance with the applicable provisions of 10 CFR Part 51, which are the NRC regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the NRC is required to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) as part of its review of an early site permit (ESP) or combined license (COL) application. Currently, NRC staff estimates the environmental review process to take approximately 24 months. This includes scoping, issuance of the draft EIS, a comment period, and issuance of the final EIS. NRC staff conducts its environmental reviews using NUREG-1555, Environmental Standard Review Plan (ESRP). NRC is currently looking at ways to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the environmental review process.

Other Resources

• Guidance on how to submit an application or its related documentation to the NRC electronically can be found on Electronic Submissions
• RIS 2008-01, "Process for Scheduling Acceptance Reviews Based on Notification of Applicant Submission Dates for Early Site Permits, Combined Licenses, And Design Certifications and Process for Determining Budget Needs For Fiscal Year 2010"
• Other Related Documents for New Reactors

Also see Operating Reactors Regulations, Guidance, and Communication for additional information.

Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer
Thursday, August 28, 2008