![]() Several nuclear power plants completed decommissioning in the 1990s without a viable option for disposing of their spent nuclear fuel because the federal government did not construct a geologic repository as planned. The rule allows no major decommissioning activities to be undertaken until after certain information has been provided to the NRC and the public. 1 In August 1996, a revised rule went into effect that redefined the decommissioning process and required owners to provide the NRC with early notification of planned decommissioning activities. The requirements for decommissioning a nuclear power plant are set out in several NRC regulations. A time beyond that would be considered only when necessary to protect public health and safety in accordance with NRC regulations. ![]() There is no formal declaration of a strategy: A facility is said to be in DECON when active decommissioning work is underway.ĭecommissioning must be completed within 60 years of the plant ceasing operations. The decision may be based on factors besides radioactive decay, such as availability of waste disposal sites. Under SAFSTOR, often considered “deferred dismantling,” a nuclear facility is maintained and monitored in a condition that allows the radioactivity to decay afterwards, the plant is dismantled and the property decontaminated.Ī licensee may also combine the two strategies by dismantling and decontaminating some portions of the facility while leaving other parts in SAFSTOR. Under DECON (immediate dismantling), soon after the nuclear facility closes, equipment, structures, and portions of the facility containing radioactive contaminants are removed or decontaminated to a level that permits release of the property and termination of the NRC license.ĭemolition of a Reactor Containment Building Licensees may choose from two decommissioning strategies: DECON and SAFSTOR. These requirements protect workers and the public during the entire decommissioning process and the public after the license is terminated. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has strict rules governing nuclear power plant decommissioning, involving cleanup of radioactively contaminated plant systems and structures, and removal of the radioactive fuel. When a power company decides to close a nuclear power plant permanently, the facility must be decommissioned by safely removing it from service and reducing residual radioactivity to a level that permits release of the property and termination of the operating license. Power Reactors in the Decommissioning Process.Backgrounder on Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants
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