Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 239cc7c1-f2cb-46cc-945d-8009db28aa6c
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: General Site Suitability Criteria for Nuclear Power Stations + HISTORY - HISTORY 12/2023 – DG-4034 , Proposed Revision 4 12/2011 – DG-4021 , Proposed Revision 3 02/1995 – DG-4004, Second Proposed Revision 2 11/1992 – DG-4003, Proposed Revision 2 (Rev. 4)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 4
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2312/ML23123A090.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-10
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-4.7
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
NRC staff’s recommended option to revise the guidance in this RG to provide technology-inclusive, risk-informed, and performance-based criteria to assess population-related issues in siting advanced reactors. The revised guidance in this appendix provides alternative population-related siting criteria where instead of locating a reactor in an area where the population density does not exceed 500 ppsm out to 20 miles from the reactor, an applicant can demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 100.21(h) by siting a nuclear reactor in a location where the population density does not exceed 500 ppsm out to a distance equal to twice the distance at which a hypothetical individual could receive a calculated total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) of 1 rem over a period of 1 month from the release of radionuclides following postulated accidents. A-2. Discussion The alternative population-related siting criteria are independent of reactor design, but the calculation of potential doses from postulated accidents to be considered for comparison to the criteria are expected to reflect specific reactor designs and analytical approaches. The approach described in this appendix addresses consideration of design features and attributes and associated event analyses. It considers modeling for the potential release of radionuclides when determining the area in which population density is evaluated to meet the siting criteria and contributes to ensuring that defense in depth is provided for the protection of populations near commercial nuclear power plants. For the alternative approach, the consideration of transient populations and the gathering and prediction of population data are the same as described in section C.1.4 of this RG. A-3. Staff Regulatory Guidance The NRC staff has published guidance for two general approaches for the development of accident radiological consequence analyses to address regulatory requirements related to reactor designs and reactor sites. One approach