Nuclear licensing is the legal process used to permit

nuclear power plants A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces elec ...

and other nuclear facilities. Each country has its own regulatory system that often has significant variations from other countries. The

World Nuclear Association World Nuclear Association is the international organization that promotes nuclear power and supports the companies that comprise the global nuclear industry. Its members come from all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, ur ...

classifies countries nuclear regulations in several major categories: * Countries with large mature nuclear programs and privately funded nuclear projects, including the United States and United Kingdom. Such countries often have unpredictable regulatory systems that can completely cancel a project after large investments * Countries with large nuclear programs that are state-funded, including China and India. These countries have more predictable approval processes, but often have weak international collaboration. * Countries with small mature nuclear programs, including the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. These countries heavily rely on foreign expertise in their regulatory processes. * Countries with emerging nuclear programs, including Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. These countries often have weak regulatory systems and drastic differences in regulatory approach from other countries. One major factor in the complexity of the licensing process is whether a proposed nuclear facility is the first of its kind or a well established design. New designs have a longer and more detailed review process, while facilities that use an established design have a simpler process that often focuses on the site-specific issues for that project.

Nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: * Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics *Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

materials and use of those materials (see also

Radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consid ...

Materials) typically requires a

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

of some sort from the government(s) in which the activities will be conducted. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, licenses are issued either by the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began operat ...

, or in some cases by the individual states who have been delegated authority for some licensing activities, e.g. Arizona (

Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Four ...

). In Great Britain, the

Health and Safety Executive The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a UK government agency responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain. It is a non-depar ...

oversees licenses and nuclear safety.

References

Nuclear safety and security United States federal law {{Nuclear-stub

See also

References