Many U.S. commercial nuclear power reactors are reaching the end of their initial 40-year operating period. To continue operating, their owners must renew their licenses with the Nuclear Regulatory Comm. (NRC), the independent federal agency responsible for licensing and regulating nuclear reactors. NRC evaluates license renewal applications under two parallel reviews for safety and potential environmental impacts. NRC's license renewal process has received increasing public scrutiny due, in part, to the 2011 disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. This report reviewed NRC's license renewal process for commercial nuclear power reactors. It examines (1) the scope of the license renewal process; (2) the extent to which NRC updates its safety and environmental review guidance; (3) the extent to which NRC follows its documented license renewal procedures; and (4) knowledgeable stakeholders' views on the strengths and weaknesses in the license renewal process and any suggestions for improvements. Figures. This is a print on demand report.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published its license renewal rule, Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 54, on May 8, 1995, providing the requirements for renewal of operating licenses for nuclear power plants. 10 CFR 54.21(a)(1)(i) requires an aging management review of containment structures to ensure that the effects of aging will be managed so that their intended functions will be maintained for the period of extended operation. In 1990, the Nuclear Management and Resources Council (NUMARC), now the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), submitted for NRC review, the industry reports (IRs), NUMARC Report 90–01 and NUMARC Report 90–10, addressing aging management issues associated with PWR containments and BWR containments for license renewal, respectively.