US national report on research that relates to life management of nuclear power plants
This report will focus on the status of license renewal activities in the US and associated research. First, it is noted that about 20 percent of the electricity generating capacity in the US (over 100 GW) is provided by nuclear plants, but as the current 40-year licenses expire, this nuclear generating capacity will decline dramatically after the year 2010. Plants operate under licenses granted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The regulatory requirements for their licensing and operating nuclear reactors are laid out in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). Currently, 10 CFR (Part 50.51) permits license renewal upon expiration of the current license period, but it has not previously given guidance on requirements for extending the period. In anticipation of requests to renew licenses, the NRC undertook, several years ago vigorous efforts to establish regulatory policies, technical bases, and procedures of renewal. The NRC has worked hard to ensure that technically defensible and practical methods are established. The resulting requirements that an applicant is to meet to renew a plant's license are being placed in Parts 51 and 54 of 10 CFR. Part 51 addresses environmental requirements and reviews. Part 54 addresses the technical requirements and reviews that a plant must satisfy at the time the extension is granted and during the extension period.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USNRC; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 5781039
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-920285-1; ON: DE92010126
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) international working group on life management of nuclear power plants, Vienna (Austria), 17-19 Feb 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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