The Nuclear Regulatory Commission noted that the change means "companies applying to build and operate reactors will have more time to reference already-certified designs by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, NuScale Power, Westinghouse Electric Company, and a Korean consortium. This change maintains our focus on safety with less regulatory effort and gives designers more time to gather operating experience before asking to renew a certification".
Design certifications are licensing approvals showing that a generic nuclear power plant design passes regulatory and safety requirements and is suitable to be built in the USA. Individual projects still have to get the usual site-specific permissions. The change will be effective from 15 September.
The Westinghouse AP1000 gained its original design certification in 2006 so the extension means that the design remains licensed, which will help with the overall permissions process for any proposed new units in the USA.
Dan Lipman, President, Westinghouse Energy Systems, said: "The expansion of the AP1000 design certification to 40 years further positions the advanced AP1000 modular reactor as the leading solution to meet the bold vision of the US to have 10 large-scale reactors under construction by 2030. In addition, the extension establishes a long-term licensing path to deploy our AP1000 technology abroad by providing international regulators with an established design that has already met rigorous safety standards."
The NRC's full list of design certifications it has issued comprises:
* Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) - General Electric (GE) Nuclear Energy
* Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) - Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
* ABWR Design Certification Rule (DCR) Amendment - South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company
* System 80+ - Westinghouse Electric Company
* Advanced Passive 600 (AP600) - Westinghouse Electric Company
* Advanced Passive 1000 (AP1000) - Westinghouse Electric Company
* Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR) - GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy
* NuScale Small Modular Reactor (US600) - NuScale Power, LLC
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