NRC: News Release - 2005-131 - NRC Raises Security Design Expectations for New Reactor Licensing Activities


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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs	Telephone: 301/415-8200
Washington, DC 20555-0001	E-mail: OPA.Resource@nrc.gov
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No. 05-131

September 21, 2005

NRC RAISES SECURITY DESIGN EXPECTATIONS
FOR NEW REACTOR LICENSING ACTIVITIES
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is modifying its approach to regulating advanced nuclear power plants to explicitly encourage consideration of security earlier in reactor designs and license applications.

The NRC is developing proposed revisions to its policy statement on advanced reactors, as well as revisions to security-related aspects of the agency’s regulations for licensing new reactors. The aim of the process is to have applicants submit security assessments early, so that plant designers establish security features well before construction is planned. The NRC will notify the public about opportunities to comment on the proposed changes.

"We’re looking to take advantage of the opportunities for early consideration of security, as well as safety, to be incorporated into reactor designs," said David Matthews, Director of the Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs in the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. "Accordingly, security design expectations should be considered as early as possible in the design and licensing of new reactors."

The NRC staff will also work on setting standards for future reactor designs so that security is integral to the design process. The staff’s discussion of the topic will be available from the NRC’s electronic document database, ADAMS, by entering ML051100233 at this Web address: http://adamswebsearch.nrc.gov/dologin.htm.

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