Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 151ab883-1221-4a79-88d6-a2631cce2239
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Reactors (Rev. 1)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2134/ML21347A080.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-05
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.184
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
noncompliance, and examining facts following an incident. Therefore, retention of such records would not serve the underlying purpose of the recordkeeping regulations. The following regulations ensure that records associated with SSCs will be captured, indexed, and stored in an environmentally suitable and retrievable condition: 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3); 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, “General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants,” General Design Criterion 1, “Quality Standards and Records”; and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, “Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,” Criterion XVII, “Quality Assurance Records.” Although licensees will retain the records required by their license as the plant transitions from operating conditions to a fully decommissioned state, plant dismantlement will obviate the regulatory and business need for maintenance of most records. As the SSCs already removed from the licensing basis are subsequently dismantled and as the need for the associated records is, on a practical basis, eliminated, licensees can dispose of the records associated with SSCs and historical activities that are no longer relevant and thereby eliminate the associated regulatory and economic burdens of creating alternative storage locations, relocating records, and retaining irrelevant records. Considering the content of these records, their elimination on an advanced timetable has no reasonable potential of presenting any undue risk to public health and safety. In addition, upon dismantlement of the affected SSCs, the records have no functional purpose relative to maintaining the safe operation of the SSCs, maintaining conditions that would affect the ongoing health and safety of workers or the public, or informing decisions related to nuclear safety. In addition, the NRC amended the decommissioning rule to change the portion of 10 CFR 72.72(d) that requires records for spent fuel in storage to be kept