Key Issues
Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal
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NRC’s License Renewal Requirements
For the NRC, a license renewal review must answer one basic question: Can the plant continue to operate safely during the period of extended operation?
The NRC issued a license renewal rule in 1995. To extend the operating license for a reactor, a company must demonstrate to the NRC that it will manage aging issues effectively during the renewal term, thus ensuring equipment functionality. The rule allows licensees to apply for extensions of up to 20 years over the initial 40-year term.
Some nuclear power plant components are replaced on fixed schedules, while others are used until they show wear and then are replaced. These aging management activities will continue for as long as the plant operates.
The situation is somewhat different for components that were designed to last the life of the plant and might never be replaced. License renewal reviews focus on passive, long-lived components that are important to safety—for example, the massive concrete containment building that surrounds the steel vessel holding the plant’s fuel, and the vessel itself. Periodic inspections and aging management activities verify acceptable performance for these systems, structures and components.
License renewal reviews also consider the potential environmental impact of continued plant operation.
The NRC amended its environmental protection rule in 1996 to establish requirements for environmental reviews of license renewal applications.
The agency said many potential environmental impacts of license renewal are common to all nuclear power plants and could be resolved for all plants through the revised rule.
A provision of the environmental regulatory process allows the public an opportunity to ex-press concerns about environmental impacts related to the license renewal application.
The agency identified about two dozen other issues that would require plant-specific reviews. They include the storage and disposition of used fuel, some aspects of water quality and use, aquatic life, and endangered or threatened species.
The NRC’s license renewal review is a detailed process that includes on-site inspections. A typical license renewal review takes about 22 months.
License Renewal Status
For more information on nuclear plant license renewal, visit the NRC’s Web site at www.nrc.gov.
