NRC SEEKS COMMENT ON DRAFT RULE AMENDING ABWR CERTIFICATION

TO INCLUDE CONSIDERATION OF AIRCRAFT IMPACTS

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a proposed rule that would 

amend the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) design certification to address the effects 

of the impact of a large commercial aircraft, in accordance with the NRC’s 2009 aircraft impact 

assessment rule. STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) submitted an application to 

amend the ABWR design in June 2009.

The proposed rule would certify that STPNOC’s option for the ABWR design has 

appropriately accounted for aircraft impact effects. This means that following such an impact, 

only minimal operator actions would be necessary to meet two conditions: a) the design’s reactor 

core remains cooled or the containment remains intact; and b) spent fuel cooling or spent fuel 

pool integrity is maintained.

For more information on the proposed rule, contact NRC staff members Nanette Gilles or 

Stacey Joseph, by phone at 301-415-1180 or 415-2849, respectively, or via e-mail at 

Nanette.Gilles@nrc.gov or Stacey.Joseph@nrc.gov , respectively.

Comments on the changes will be accepted for 75 days following publication of the 

proposed rule in the Federal Register, expected shortly. Comments may be mailed to: Secretary, 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and 

Adjudications Staff. They may be e-mailed to: Rulemaking.Comments@nrc.gov or submitted 

via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2010-

0134. Comments may also be faxed to the Secretary at 301-415-1101.

The NRC has already taken several steps to improve security at existing nuclear power 

plants, including adopting a rule in March 2007 that requires both existing and potential new 

reactors to defend against a more realistic threat. The agency also issued a February 2002 Order 

requiring all existing nuclear power plants to develop and adopt mitigative strategies to cope 

with large fires and explosions from any cause, including aircraft impacts. The NRC issued an 

updated security rule in March 2009, codifying these requirements for all existing and future 

nuclear power plants.

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 10-217 December 16, 2010
The agency does not believe nuclear power plant operators should be required to prevent 

the impact of large commercial aircraft; that responsibility rests with the federal government. 

The NRC works closely with other federal agencies such as NORAD, the Federal Aviation 

Administration and the intelligence community to provide layered protection against such a 

threat. The agency expects these efforts would effectively preclude an aircraft attack from 

occurring. Should such an unlikely event take place at a new plant designed in accordance with 

the new rule, the NRC expects the plant would be better able to withstand such a crash than the 

same design without changes resulting from the rule.

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