Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 125a0eda-7c6e-4943-88ef-2e1be9b1a412
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Termination of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Reactors
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0037/ML003740243.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.86
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
zard to the health and safety of the public from radioactive material remaining on the site and (2) the integrity of the physical barriers. Before areas may be released for unrestricted use, they must have been decontaminated or the radioactivity must have decayed to less than prescribed limits (Table I). The hazard associated with the retired facility is evaluated by considering the amount and type of remaining contamination, the degree of confinement of the remaining radioactive materials, the physical security provided by the confinement, the susceptibility to release of radiation as a result of natural phenomena, and the duration of required surveillance. C. REGULATORY POSITION 1. APPLICATION FOR A LICENSE TO POSSESS BUT NOT OPERATE (POSSESSION-ONLY LICENSE) A request to amend an operating license to a possession-only license should be made to the Director of Licensing, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washing ton, D.C. 20545. The request should include the following information: a. A description of the current status of the facility. b. A description of measures that will be taken to prevent criticality or reactivity changes and to minimize releases of radioactivity from the facility. c. Any proposed changes to the technical specifica tions that reflect the possession-only facility status and the necessary disassembly/retirement activities to be performed. d. A safety analysis of both the activities to be accomplished and the proposed changes to the technical specifications. e. An inventory of activated materials and their location in the facility. 2. ALTERNATIVES FOR REACTOR RETIREMENT Four alternatives for retirement of nuclear reactor facilities are considered acceptable by the Regulatory staff. These are: a. Mothballing. Mothballing of a nuclear reactor facility consists of putting the facility in a state of protective storage. In general, the facility may be left intact except that all fuel assemblies and the radioactive fluids .and waste should be removed