Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC submitted its application for an early site permit (ESP) for the North Anna site on September 25, 2003. Then, on April 13, 2006, Dominion submitted Revision 6 of the application to propose a change tothe cooling system for postulated Unit 3, and an increase in the power level for both postulated Units 3 and 4.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52 include requirements for licensing new nuclear power plants.3 These regulations include the NRC's requirements for early site permit (ESP), design certification, and combined license (COL) applications. The ESP process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart A, “Early Site Permits”) is intended to address and resolve siting-related issues. The design certification process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart B, “Standard Design Certifications”) provides a means for a vendor to obtain NRC certification of a particular reactor design. Finally, the COL process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart C, “Combined Licenses”) allows an applicant to seek authorization to construct and operate a new nuclear power plant. A COL may reference an ESP, a certified design, both, or neither. As part of demonstrating that all applicable NRC requirements are met, a COL applicant referencing an ESP or certified design must demonstrate compliance with any requirements not already resolved as part of the referenced ESP or design certification before the NRC issues that COL.