Notice2026-11694
Regulatory Guide: Guidance for Technology-Inclusive Risk-Informed Change Evaluation
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 11, 2026
Issuing agencies
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Abstract
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing new Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.261, "Guidance for Technology-Inclusive Risk- Informed Change Evaluation." This RG describes an approach that the NRC staff finds acceptable for using a technology-inclusive risk- informed change evaluation process for changes to a facility described in final safety analysis reports (as updated). Subject to the clarifications in Section C of the RG, this RG endorses the methodology described in Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 22-05, Revision 0, "Technology Inclusive Risk Informed Change Evaluation (TIRICE), Guidance for the Evaluation of Changes to Facilities Utilizing NEI 18- 04 and NEI 21-07," issued January 2024.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35582-35583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-11694]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2025-0148]
Regulatory Guide: Guidance for Technology-Inclusive Risk-Informed
Change Evaluation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Final guide; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing new
Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.261, ``Guidance for Technology-Inclusive Risk-
Informed Change Evaluation.'' This RG describes an approach that the
NRC staff finds acceptable for using a technology-inclusive risk-
informed change evaluation process for changes to a facility described
in final safety analysis reports (as updated). Subject to the
clarifications in Section C of the RG, this RG endorses the methodology
described in Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 22-05, Revision 0,
``Technology Inclusive Risk Informed Change Evaluation (TIRICE),
Guidance for the Evaluation of Changes to Facilities Utilizing NEI 18-
04 and NEI 21-07,'' issued January 2024.
DATES: RG 1.261 is available on June 11, 2026.
[[Page 35583]]
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2025-0148 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and search for Docket ID NRC-2025-0148. Address
questions about Docket IDs in <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> to Bridget Curran;
telephone: 301-415-1003; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fdbf8f94999a9889d3be888f8f9c93bd938f9ed39a928b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6a2818030e0d0f1e44291f18180b042a041809440d051c">[email protected]</span></a>. For technical
questions, contact the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
<bullet> NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html">https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html</a>. To begin the search, select ``Begin ADAMS Public Search.''
For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public Document Room
(PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 301-415-4737, or by email
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c1918593ef93a4b2aeb4b3a2a481afb3a2efa6aeb7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e1b1a5b3cfb384928e94938284a18f9382cf868e97">[email protected]</span></a>. The ADAMS accession number for each document
referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time
that it is mentioned in this document.
<bullet> NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an
appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c4948096ea96a1b7abb1b6a7a184aab6a7eaa3abb2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f0a0b4a2dea295839f85829395b09e8293de979f86">[email protected]</span></a> or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
RG 1.261 may be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML26051A063.
RGs are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not required to
reproduce them.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hannah McLatchie, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-8507; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#337b525d5d525b1d7e507f5247505b5a56735d41501d545c45"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ffb79e91919e97d1b29cb39e8b9c97969abf918d9cd1989089">[email protected]</span></a> and Vance Petrella, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-1048; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3761565954521967524345525b5b567759455419505841"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4b1d2a25282e651b2e3f392e27272a0b253928652c243d">[email protected]</span></a>. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Discussion
The NRC is issuing a new guide in the NRC's ``Regulatory Guide''
series. This series was developed to describe methods that are
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the
agency's regulations, to explain techniques that the staff uses in
evaluating specific issues or postulated events, and to describe
information that the staff needs in its review of applications for
permits and licenses.
The proposed RG 1.261 was issued with a temporary identification of
Draft Regulatory Guide (DG)-1439 (ADAMS Accession No. ML24295A187). The
NRC is issuing RG 1.261 to describe an approach that the NRC staff
finds acceptable for using a technology-inclusive risk-informed change
evaluation process for changes to a facility described in final safety
analysis reports (as updated). Subject to the clarifications in Section
C of the RG, this RG endorses the methodology described in NEI 22-05,
Revision 0 (ADAMS Accession No. ML24032A237) as an acceptable
alternative to using the criteria in section 50.59 of title 10 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Changes, tests, and
experiments.'' Plants licensed using the methodology in NEI 18-04,
Revision 1, ``Risk-Informed Performance-Based Technology Inclusive
Guidance for Non-Light Water Reactor Licensing Basis Development''
(ADAMS Accession No. ML19241A472), and NEI 21-07, Revision 1,
``Technology Inclusive Guidance for Non-Light Water Reactors, Safety
Analysis Report Content for Applicants Using the NEI 18-04
Methodology'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML22060A190), will have a licensing
basis that is derived from a probabilistic risk assessment to a greater
extent than if those plants were licensed under the existing regulatory
frameworks in 10 CFR part 50, ``Domestic Licensing of Production and
Utilization Facilities,'' and 10 CFR part 52, ``Licenses,
Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.'' Therefore,
the criteria in 10 CFR 50.59, which were developed to reflect a
licensing basis developed under the 10 CFR parts 50 and 52 frameworks,
may not readily apply to those plants. Consequently, RG 1.261 addresses
an area of regulation where special circumstances may warrant departure
from some, or parts of some, regulations, such as 10 CFR 50.59.
Ultimately, the licensee is responsible for preparing requests for such
exemptions and related proposed license conditions to support this
alternative.
II. Additional Information
The NRC published a notice of the availability of DG-1439 in the
Federal Register on August 8, 2025 (90 FR 38516) for a 30-day public
comment period. The public comment period closed on September 8, 2025.
Public comments on DG-1439 and the NRC staff responses to the public
comments are available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML26051A105.
III. Congressional Review Act
This RG is a rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act (5
U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and Budget has not
found it to be a major rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act.
IV. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality
Licensees generally are not required to comply with the guidance in
RG 1.261. If the NRC proposes to use this RG in an action that would
constitute backfitting, as that term is defined in 10 CFR 50.109,
``Backfitting,'' and as described in NRC Management Directive 8.4,
``Management of Backfitting, Forward Fitting, Issue Finality, and
Information Requests''; affect the issue finality of an approval issued
under 10 CFR part 52; or constitute forward fitting, as that term is
defined in Management Directive (MD) 8.4, then the NRC staff will apply
the applicable policy in MD 8.4 to justify the action. If a licensee
believes that the NRC is using this RG in a manner inconsistent with
the discussion in its Implementation section, then the licensee may
inform the NRC staff in accordance with MD 8.4.
V. Submitting Suggestions for Improvement of Regulatory Guides
A member of the public may, at any time, submit suggestions to the
NRC for improvement of existing RGs or for the development of new RGs.
Suggestions can be submitted on the NRC's public website at <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/contactus.html">https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/contactus.html</a>.
Suggestions will be considered in future updates and enhancements to
the ``Regulatory Guide'' series.
VI. Executive Order (E.O.) 12866
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs determined that RG
1.261 is not a significant regulatory action under E.O. 12866.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.
Dated: June 8, 2026.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James Steckel,
Acting Chief, Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch, Division
of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2026-11694 Filed 6-10-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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