Licensing Process for Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations
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Process for New Licenses
To apply for a license to store spent fuel at an independent spent fuel storage installation or a monitored retrievable storage facility, an organization would submit an application to NRC for review and approval. The application would contain information as described in the Standard Review Plan for Spent Fuel Dry Storage Facilities (NUREG-1567). The application must address the safety and operational characteristics of the facility, including the site seismic and environmental conditions, the planned storage system, an accident analysis, and the radiological impact of normal operations.
License Amendment Process
To amend a license, the licensee would submit a request to NRC with any necessary supporting technical information for NRC to review and, if appropriate, approve the license amendment.
License Renewal Process
To renew a license at the end of the approval period, the licensee would submit a request to NRC with any necessary supporting information describing the capability of the site and storage systems to continue operations for another license period. After reviewing this information, the NRC would determine whether to approve the license renewal.
License Transfer and Merger Process
To transfer ownership of the facility or to merge with another organization, the licensee would submit a request to NRC with any necessary supporting organizational and financial information for NRC to review and, if appropriate, approve the license amendment.
License Fees
The fees charged by the NRC to applicants for an NRC license and to holders of NRC licenses and the associated requirements are found in 10 CFR Part 170 and 10 CFR Part 171. See in particular 10 CFR 170.20 and 170.31, and 10 CFR 171.16 and 171.17(b) for sections directly applicable to fees for fuel cycle facility licenses. Also see 10 CFR 170.11 and 10 CFR 171.11 for exemptions from the fee requirements. For more information about fees, see our License Fees page and 10 CFR 170 and 10 CFR 171.
Public Involvement
To learn how stakeholders can participate in our licensing process, see Public Involvement in Licensing.
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, July 08, 2020