Nuclear licensing is the legal process used to permit nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities. Each country has its own regulatory system that often has significant variations from other countries.
The World Nuclear Association classifies countries nuclear regulations in several major categories:[1]
One major factor in the complexity of the licensing process is whether a proposed nuclear facility is the first of its kind or a well established design. New designs have a longer and more detailed review process, while facilities that use an established design have a simpler process that often focuses on the site-specific issues for that project.
Nuclear materials and use of those materials (see also Radioactive Materials) typically requires a license of some sort from the government(s) in which the activities will be conducted. In the United States, licenses are issued either by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,[2] or in some cases by the individual states who have been delegated authority for some licensing activities, e.g. Arizona (Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency).
In Great Britain, the Health and Safety Executive oversees licenses and nuclear safety.