Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: da269da5-7390-4252-b08f-bdb7aeb8beaf
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Developing Principal Design Criteria for Non-Light Water Reactors + HISTORY - HISTORY 02/2017 – DG-1330 , Proposed Revision 0
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1630/ML16301A307.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.232
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
ortant to safety; that is, as stated in Appendix A, SSCs “that provide reasonable assurance that the nuclear power plant can be operated without undue risk to the health and safety of the public.” The GDC are also intended to provide guidance in establishing the PDC for non-LWRs. The GDC serve as the fundamental criteria for the NRC staff when reviewing the SSCs that make up a nuclear power plant design particularly when assessing the performance of their safety functions in design basis events postulated to occur during normal operations, anticipated operational occurrences (AOOs), and postulated accidents. NRC Policy on Advanced Reactors From the NRC staff’s regulatory perspective, the characteristics of an “advanced reactor” have evolved over time, and this evolution is expected to continue. For example, the passive features in the AP1000 design were advanced concepts when first introduced in 2002. On October 14, 2008, the Commission issued its most recent policy statement on advanced reactors, “Policy Statement on the Regulation of Advanced Reactors,” which included items to be considered in their designs. The Commission’s 2008 policy statement reinforced and updated the policy statements on advanced reactors previously published in 1986 and 1994. In part, the 2008 update to the policy states the following: “Regarding advanced reactors, the Commission expects, as a minimum, at least the same degree of protection of the environment and public health and safety and the common defense and security that is required for current generation light-water reactors [i.e., those licensed before 1997]. Furthermore, the Commission expects that advanced reactors will provide enhanced margins of safety and/or use simplified, inherent, passive, or other innovative means to accomplish their safety and security functions.” The Advanced Reactor Policy Statement makes clear the Commission’s expectations that advanced reactor designs will address all current