There is a sequence of events in the licensing process that must take place before a license is granted.

(a) The application for the license to build is submitted by the utility as applicant, using technical information supplied by the industrial designer. This technical information includes a preliminary safety analysis report, the PSAR.

(b) The DRL receives the application and gives a copy to the ACRS. It puts a copy on view in the public room to give objectors access to all the information. It considers the application and the evaluation report and then submits its report, also to the ACRS.

(c) The ACRS considers the application, the safety evaluation, and the DRL report. It then reports in turn to the AEC commissioners who make the official ruling. However, the ACRS by this time has made a recommen­dation which carries considerable weight. The AEC Commissioners are

TABLE 6.1

AEC Question 14.1 on Indian Point 2

unlikely to oppose this recommendation. During the ACRS review there is considerable communication between the committee and the utility — industrial designer partnership. The ACRS is likely to ask a series of search­ing questions before it is satisfied to make a recommendation to the com­missioners. Table 6.1 details a typical question asked by the AEC, in this case during a PWR licensing application.

(d) The commissioners call a public meeting for public review and objection by groups or individuals if required. The licensing board at this meeting again reports to the commission on objections received.

(e) The commission then decides on the application and issues a con­struction license if they are satisfied that the plant is safe, and that public objections have been met, where these objections are relevant.

(f) After construction of the plant, the utility must again make an appli­cation, this time for an operating license. The procedure to obtain it is identical with steps (a)-(e) and again occupies many months. This second application is accompanied by another safety analysis document, a final one (FSAR), which incorporates all the latest work and includes answers to all the ACRS questions.

Licensing of power reactors [2] [3] [4]

To summarize the procedure (Fig. 6.5):

1. application by utility (industrial vendor acts as an advisor);

2. DRL distribution of application and consideration of PSAR;

3. report by DRL to ACRS;

4. report by ACRS to AEC commissioners;

5. public review meeting;

6. report by licensing board to AEC commissioners;

7. construction license granted or refused.

Then after construction of the plant, there is a repetition of steps 1-6, following which the operating license may be granted or refused or simply delayed until all outstanding queries are settled.

Steps 1-7 occupy approximately eighteen months and there is approx­imately a two-year construction delay before the next application is made. During this time, the safety evaluation will be strengthened and made more specific to the design which will become fixed during the early construction period.

Construction license

3

Fig. 6.6. Licensing time scale for a nuclear power plant.

4

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