Press Release-09-034, NRC Issues Guidance on New Reactor Guidance
| ML090490782 | |
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| Issue date: | 02/18/2009 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
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| Category:Press Release | |
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| Press Release-09-034 | |
| Download: ML090490782 (1) | |
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NRC ISSUES GUIDANCE ON NEW REACTOR CONSTRUCTION The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published updated descriptions of the types of new reactor construction activity that require prior agency approval.
The NRCs interim staff guidance covers the activities that companies can request in applications for Limited Work Authorizations and Combined Licenses under the agencys new reactor licensing process. The guidance, including specific examples of plant systems covered by the definitions, is available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/isg/col-app-design-cert.html.
The guidance outlines the staffs conclusion that construction requiring NRC approval includes work on a structure, system or component that a) has a safety, security or accident mitigation function, or b) whose failure could prevent a safety system from functioning or cause a reactor shutdown. Examples of these structures include any part of a reactor building, including foundations, and fire protection systems. Construction also covers actions to prepare an excavated site (e.g., compacting soil or placing engineered backfill material) for eventual erection of the kinds of structures described in the guidance.
Under the guidance, companies are free to perform pre-construction activities that would not have any impact on safety-related systems in the final plant. These activities would include:
- Clearing and grading a site and installing erosion control and other environmental mitigation measures;
- Erecting fences, construction support buildings and service facilities such as railroad spurs;
- Simple excavation; and
- Erecting plant structures (e.g., cooling towers) that can be shown to be unrelated to reactor safety and whose failure would not cause a reactor shutdown.
Companies must accurately describe pre-construction excavation activities in any subsequent application to the NRC.
News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.
NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov No.09-034 February 18, 2009