Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI)

Under a specific license, an applicant submits a license application to the NRC and the NRC performs a technical review of all the safety and environmental protection aspects of the proposed ISFSI.  During this process, the NRC notifies all stakeholders (including the public) as to how and when they may participate in the regulatory process, which may include participating in public meetings, opportunities to comment on the scope and the draft findings of the environmental impact statement, and opportunities to request a hearing on the issuance of the license.  If the application is approved, the NRC issues a license that is valid for up to 40 years. A spent fuel storage license contains technical requirements and operating conditions (e.g., fuel specifications, cask leak testing, surveillance, and other requirements) for the ISFSI and specifies what the licensee is authorized to store at the site.  For more information, see the page on Licensing Process for ISFSIs.

A Part 72 specific license for an ISFSI is separate from the Part 50 license for the reactor. Although at-reactor storage means the ISFSI is located at the same site as the reactor, the two facilities are monitored by the NRC under two separate licenses with their own requirements and expiration dates.

Currently, the NRC staff is reviewing an application for one site specific ISFSI license, the license renewal of the Diablo Canyon ISFSI located in San Luis Obispo County, California.

ISFSI Applications