NRC SEEKS COMMENT ON PROPOSED RULE TO AMEND

CERTIFIED AP1000 REACTOR DESIGN

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking comments on a proposed rule that

would amend Westinghouse’s certified AP1000 reactor design for use in the United States.

The design certification process provides for early public participation and resolution of 

safety issues for proposed reactor designs. NRC certification, in the form of a final rule, means the 

design meets the agency’s applicable safety requirements. If an applicant for a nuclear power plant 

license references a certified design, the applicant need not submit safety information for the design. 

Instead, the license application and the NRC’s safety review would address the remaining safety 

issues specific to the proposed nuclear power plant.

The design to be certified is fully described in a “design control document,” which would be 

approved (incorporated by reference) in the design certification rule. The NRC has also prepared an 

environmental assessment of the design to support the rulemaking. The environmental assessment 

discusses possible design alternatives that could be included in the design certification to mitigate

potential severe accidents. The NRC invites public comments on the design control document and 

environmental assessment as part of this rulemaking. These documents are available through the 

Federal e-Rulemaking website at http://www.regulations.gov by searching under Docket ID 

NRC-2010-0131.

Westinghouse submitted an application for certification of the original AP1000 standard 

plant design on March 28, 2002; the NRC issued a rule certifying that design on Jan. 27, 2006.

Westinghouse submitted an application to amend the AP1000 on May 27, 2007. The AP1000 is a 

1,100 megawatt electric pressurized-water reactor that includes passive safety features that would 

cool down the reactor after an accident without the need for human intervention.

The NRC conducted an extensive technical evaluation of the design and issued a final safety 

evaluation report (FSER) in December 2010. The FSER provides the basis for the design 

certification now being considered for addition to NRC’s regulations at 10 CFR Part 52. The FSER

is available through http://www.regulations.gov by searching under Docket ID NRC-2010-0131.

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

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No. 11-022 February 10, 2011
The NRC is currently reviewing six Combined License applications that reference the 

amended AP1000 design. The NRC has certified three other standard reactor designs: the Advanced 

Boiling Water Reactor, System 80+, and AP600; the agency is currently reviewing applications to 

certify the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor, the U.S. Advanced Pressurized Water 

Reactor and the EPR pressurized-water reactor.

Comments may be submitted for 75 days following publication of a Federal Register notice, 

expected shortly. Comments may be submitted via http://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID 

NRC-2010-0131; by e-mail to Rulemaking.Comments@nrc.gov; by mail to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications 

Staff; or by fax to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, at 301-492-3466.

More information about the amended AP1000 design review can be found on the NRC’s 

website at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/design-cert/amended-ap1000.html.

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