Releasing Part of a Power Reactor Site or Facility for Unrestricted Use Before the NRC Approves the License Termination Plan

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations to standardize the process for allowing a power reactor licensee to release part of its facility or site for unrestricted use before the NRC approves the license termination plan (LTP). This type of release is termed a "partial site release." The final rule identifies the criteria and regulatory framework that a licensee will use to request NRC approval for a partial site release and provides additional assurance that residual radioactivity will meet the radiological criteria for license termination, even if parts of the site were released before license termination. The final rule also clarifies that the radiological criteria for unrestricted use apply to a partial site release.