(a) A holder of an OL or COL who references a design certification rule issued under this part must request an exemption if proposing to change one or more elements of the certification information. The Commission may grant such a request only if it determines that the exemption will comply with the requirements of § 53.080 and that the special circumstances outweigh any decrease in safety that may result from the reduction in standardization caused by the departure.
(b) The request for an exemption must be included with any associated license amendment request, which must be requested and processed in accordance with §§ 53.1510, 53.1515, and 53.1520.
(c) Licensees must evaluate changes to the design as described in the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) not involving changes to the certification information using the criteria in § 53.1550.
authority: Atomic Energy Act of 1954, secs. 11, 101, 103, 108, 122, 147, 161, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 189, 223, 234 (
42 U.S.C. 2014,
2131,
2132,
2133,
2134,
2135,
2138,
2152,
2167,
2169,
2201,
2231,
2232,
2233,
2234,
2235,
2236,
2237,
2239,
2273,
2282; Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, secs. 201, 202, 206, 211 (
42 U.S.C. 5841,
5842,
5846,
5851; Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, sec. 306 (
42 U.S.C. 10226); National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (
42 U.S.C. 4332);
44 U.S.C. 3504 note; Pub. L. 115-439, 132 Stat. 5571
source: 91 FR 15794, Mar. 30, 2026, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 10 CFR 53.1525