Revising the Duration of Design Certifications

Document 2025-12397 is a Proposed Rule published by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Federal Register on July 2, 2025. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its regulations to revise the duration of design certifications (DCs). Specifically, this proposed rule would replace the 15-year duration for DCs with a 40-year duration period, both for existing DCs currently in effect and generically for future DCs, including renewals. This proposed rule would not change the date of issuance or renewal for existing DCs (i.e., the start date by which an existing DC may be referenced would remain unchanged). The proposed rule would also incorporate a minor editorial correction. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/07/02/2025-12397/revising-the-duration-of-design-certifications.

No. Document 2025-12397 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.