Big Rock Point is unique because of the size [75 MW(electric)] and age (35-yr operation) of the plant. Also, the shutdown of Big Rock Point was announced and planned for many months before final shutdown. This allowed for a more preplanned approach to issues than at other plants, which had to shut down and enter decommissioning under unplanned situations. However, the fundamental concerns for
... [Show full abstract] controlling safety and cost of decommissioning are the same for all plants. The state of decommissioning (permanent plant shutdown) results in a significant reduction in possible accident scenarios and significantly reduced off-site consequences. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is developing a risk model for plants in decommissioning to allow for risk-based regulation. The regulatory impact on decommissioning can be substantial in terms of money and time, with no safety benefit. Therefore, it is imperative that the industry work with the NRC to establish appropriate regulatory guidance recognizing that risk is significantly reduced from the operational phase. Risk-based guidance should be time-dependent, providing automatic regulatory relief when conditions warrant.