AP600, the Westinghouse advanced nuclear power plant model, is beinglicensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in advance of any firm projectapplication under a new process called Design Certification which offers benefits toboth the public and to the industry. The public benefits from earlier participation inthe process and from the solid assurance of safety provided by the very rigorousand comprehensive technical review. The industry benefits from having thetechnical review of the design completed prior to starting any project applicationand from the assurance that the licensing review will not adversely affect the projectschedule. This paper provides an overview of the elements of this new licensingprocess and summarizes the progress of the AP600 in the process. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is the agency within theUnited States government responsible for setting and enforcing regulations toassure that civilian nuclear facilities do not jeopardize the health and safety of thepublic. Under NRC jurisdiction for licensing are commercial power reactors, civilianresearch and training reactors, nuclear materials and nuclear waste. The NRCregulations are collected and documented in the Title 10 of the Code of FederalRegulations (1OCFR).There are five Commissionerswho are appointed by the U.S.President for five year terms with no limit on reappointment. Reporting to theCommissioners through an Executive Director for Operations is a large stafforganized in three main divisions. The Nuclear Reactor Regulation Division isresponsible for licensing the construction and operation of all civilian reactors. TheNuclear Reactor Research Division is responsible for safety related research tosupport reactor regulation. The Nuclear Materials Safeguards and Support isresponsible for licensing the possession, transportation, and non-reactor utilizationof nuclear materials. Assisting the Commission in their review of licenseapplications in the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, composed of respected experts from academia and industry who are appointed by the Chairmanof the Commission.The process previously used for licensing the currently operating powerreactors is set forth in Part 50 of the 10CFR regulations. It is a two-step processwhere there is a complete technical review of the design including a public hearingprior to granting a Construction Permit an then anOther complete technical review running in parallel with plant construction leading to another public hearing and anOperation License upon completion of construction. The advisory Committee onReactor Safeguards also performed their own independent reviews at ConstructionPermit and at Operating License stages. This process was conceived in the earlydays of nuclear power when projects were begun with only preliminary orconceptual engineering complete and the designs evolved considerably duringconstruction. This Part 50 process served well over the decades of its use, resultingin the construction and safe operation of more than one hundred power reactors inthe U.S. B.A. Mcintyre& RR Henderson; Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
