§ 53.1010 Financial assurance for decommissioning.

(a) This section establishes requirements for indicating to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) how an applicant for or holder of an OL or COL under this part will provide reasonable assurance that funds will be available for the decommissioning process. Reasonable assurance consists of a series of steps as provided in paragraph (b) of this section and §§ 53.1020, 53.1030 and 53.1040. Funding for the decommissioning of commercial nuclear plants may also be subject to the regulation of Federal or State government agencies (e.g., Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and State Public Utility Commissions) that have jurisdiction over rate regulation. The requirements of this subpart, in particular § 53.1020, are in addition to, and not a substitution for, other requirements, and are not intended to be used by themselves or by other agencies to establish rates. (b) Each applicant for an OL or COL under this part must prepare a plan and an associated decommissioning report that ensures and documents that adequate funding will be available to decommission the facility. Each holder of an OL or COL must implement and maintain the plan. (1)(i) Before the Commission issues an OL under this part, the applicant must update the decommissioning report to certify that it has provided financial assurance for decommissioning in the amount proposed in the application and approved by the NRC under § 53.1020. (ii) No later than 30 days after the Commission issues the notice of intended operation under § 53.1452 for a COL under this part, the licensee must update the decommissioning report to certify that it has provided financial assurance for decommissioning in the amount proposed in the application and approved by the NRC under § 53.1020. (2) The amount of financial assurance for decommissioning to be provided must be based on a site-specific cost estimate for decommissioning the facility under § 53.1020. (3) The amount of financial assurance for decommissioning to be provided must be adjusted annually using a rate at least equal to that stated in § 53.1030. (4) The amount of financial assurance for decommissioning to be provided must be covered by one or more of the methods described in § 53.1040 as acceptable to the NRC. A copy of the financial instrument obtained to satisfy the requirements of § 53.1040 must be submitted to the NRC as part of the application for an OL under this part; however, an applicant for or holder of a COL need not obtain such financial instrument or submit a copy to the Commission except as provided in § 53.1060(b).