When a licensee has determined to permanently cease operations the licensee shall, within 30 days, submit a written certification to the NRC, consistent with the requirements of § 52.3(b)(8);

Once fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vessel, the licensee shall submit a written certification to the NRC that meets the requirements of § 52.3(b)(9); and

For licensees whose licenses have been permanently modified to allow possession but not operation of the facility, before September 27, 2007, the certification required in paragraph (a)(1) of this section shall be deemed to have been submitted.

Upon docketing of the certifications for permanent cessation of operations and permanent removal of fuel from the reactor vessel, or when a final legally effective order to permanently cease operations has come into effect, the 10 CFR part 52 license no longer authorizes operation of the reactor or emplacement or retention of fuel into the reactor vessel.

Decommissioning will be completed within 60 years of permanent cessation of operations. Completion of decommissioning beyond 60 years will be approved by the Commission only when necessary to protect public health and safety. Factors that will be considered by the Commission in evaluating an alternative that provides for completion of decommissioning beyond 60 years of permanent cessation of operations include unavailability of waste disposal capacity and other site-specific factors affecting the licensee's capability to carry out decommissioning, including presence of other nuclear facilities at the site.

Before or within 2 years following permanent cessation of operations, the licensee shall submit a post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR) to the NRC, and a copy to the affected State(s). The report must include a description of the planned decommissioning activities along with a schedule for their accomplishment, an estimate of expected costs, and a discussion that provides the reasons for concluding that the environmental impacts associated with site-specific decommissioning activities will be bounded by appropriate previously issued environmental impact statements.

The NRC shall notice receipt of the PSDAR and make the PSDAR available for public comment. The NRC shall also schedule a public meeting in the vicinity of the licensee's facility upon receipt of the PSDAR. The NRC shall publish a document in the Federal Register and in a forum, such as local newspapers, that is readily accessible to individuals in the vicinity of the site, announcing the date, time and location of the meeting, along with a brief description of the purpose of the meeting.

Licensees shall not perform any major decommissioning activities, as defined in § 50.2 of this chapter, until 90 days after the NRC has received the licensee's PSDAR submittal and until certifications of permanent cessation of operations and permanent removal of fuel from the reactor vessel, as required under § 52.110(a)(1), have been submitted.

Licensees shall not perform any decommissioning activities, as defined in § 52.1, that—

Foreclose release of the site for possible unrestricted use;

Result in significant environmental impacts not previously reviewed; or

Result in there no longer being reasonable assurance that adequate funds will be available for decommissioning.

In taking actions permitted under § 50.59 of this chapter following submittal of the PSDAR, the licensee shall notify the NRC in writing and send a copy to the affected State(s), before performing any decommissioning activity inconsistent with, or making any significant schedule change from, those actions and schedules described in the PSDAR, including changes that significantly increase the decommissioning cost.

Decommissioning trust funds may be used by licensees if—

The withdrawals are for expenses for legitimate decommissioning activities consistent with the definition of decommissioning in § 52.1;

The expenditure would not reduce the value of the decommissioning trust below an amount necessary to place and maintain the reactor in a safe storage condition if unforeseen conditions or expenses arise and;

The withdrawals would not inhibit the ability of the licensee to complete funding of any shortfalls in the decommissioning trust needed to ensure the availability of funds to ultimately release the site and terminate the license.

Initially, 3 percent of the generic amount specified in § 50.75 of this chapter may be used for decommissioning planning. For licensees that have submitted the certifications required under § 52.110(a) and commencing 90 days after the NRC has received the PSDAR, an additional 20 percent may be used. A site-specific decommissioning cost estimate must be submitted to the NRC before the licensee may use any funding in excess of these amounts.

Within 2 years following permanent cessation of operations, if not already submitted, the licensee shall submit a site-specific decommissioning cost estimate.

For decommissioning activities that delay completion of decommissioning by including a period of storage or surveillance, the licensee shall provide a means of adjusting cost estimates and associated funding levels over the storage or surveillance period.

All power reactor licensees must submit an application for termination of license. The application for termination of license must be accompanied or preceded by a license termination plan to be submitted for NRC approval.

The license termination plan must be a supplement to the FSAR or equivalent and must be submitted at least 2 years before termination of the license date.

The license termination plan must include—

A site characterization;

Identification of remaining dismantlement activities;

Plans for site remediation;

Detailed plans for the final radiation survey;

A description of the end use of the site, if restricted;

An updated site-specific estimate of remaining decommissioning costs;

A supplement to the environmental report, under § 51.53 of this chapter, describing any new information or significant environmental change associated with the licensee's proposed termination activities; and

Identification of parts, if any, of the facility or site that were released for use before approval of the license termination plan.

The NRC shall notice receipt of the license termination plan and make the license termination plan available for public comment. The NRC shall also schedule a public meeting in the vicinity of the licensee's facility upon receipt of the license termination plan. The NRC shall publish a document in the Federal Register and in a forum, such as local newspapers, which is readily accessible to individuals in the vicinity of the site, announcing the date, time and location of the meeting, along with a brief description of the purpose of the meeting.

If the license termination plan demonstrates that the remainder of decommissioning activities will be performed in accordance with the regulations in this chapter, will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public, and will not have a significant effect on the quality of the environment and after notice to interested persons, the Commission shall approve the plan, by license amendment, subject to terms and conditions as it deems appropriate and necessary and authorize implementation of the license termination plan.

The Commission shall terminate the license if it determines that—

The remaining dismantlement has been performed in accordance with the approved license termination plan; and

The final radiation survey and associated documentation, including an assessment of dose contributions associated with parts released for use before approval of the license termination plan, demonstrate that the facility and site have met the criteria for decommissioning in subpart E to 10 CFR part 20.

For a facility that has permanently ceased operation before the expiration of its license, the collection period for any shortfall of funds will be determined, upon application by the licensee, on a case-by-case basis taking into account the specific financial situation of each licensee.