# 2026-11694: NRC Issues New Risk-Informed Change Guide

2026-11694, Regulatory Guide: Guidance for Technology-Inclusive Risk-Informed Change Evaluation, is a Federal Register notice from Nuclear Regulatory Commission published 2026-06-11, effective 2026-06-11; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11694
- As of: 2026-06-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-11694
- Title: Regulatory Guide: Guidance for Technology-Inclusive Risk-Informed Change Evaluation
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Citation: 91 FR 35582
- Published: 2026-06-11
- Effective: 2026-06-11
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-18

## In one line

NRC Issues New Risk-Informed Change Guide

## Summary

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission just released a new guide to help nuclear plants safely evaluate changes using the latest technology and risk info. This guide affects plant operators who want to update their safety reports and make smarter, tech-friendly decisions without delays. It’s effective starting June 11, 2026, and aims to save time and money by streamlining how changes get reviewed.

## 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.

## Effects PRIA read

- NRC Issues RG 1.261 Guidance: benefit, low. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued Regulatory Guide 1.261, available June 11, 2026, that describes an NRC-acceptable approach for a technology-inclusive risk-informed change evaluation for changes to facilities described in final safety analysis reports. The guide is published as RG 1.261 and…
- NEI 22-05 Endorsed as 50.59 Alternative: benefit, medium. Subject to the clarifications in Section C of the guide, RG 1.261 endorses the methodology in Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 22-05, Revision 0 (issued January 2024), as an acceptable alternative to using the criteria in 10 CFR 50.59, "Changes, tests, and experiments," for changes to a facility desc…
- PRA-Based Licensing Basis May Limit 50.59: mixed, medium. The guide states that plants licensed using NEI 18-04, Revision 1, and NEI 21-07, Revision 1, will have a licensing basis derived from a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) to a greater extent than plants licensed under 10 CFR part 50 or part 52. Consequently, the criteria in 10 CFR 50.59 may not r…
- Guide Voluntary; Backfit Protections Apply: benefit, low. The NRC states licensees generally are not required to comply with RG 1.261. If the NRC proposes to use the guide in a way that would constitute backfitting (as defined in 10 CFR 50.109) or forward fitting or affect issue finality, the NRC will apply the policy in Management Directive 8.4 to justif…

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## Sources
- [2026-11694 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/11/2026-11694/regulatory-guide-guidance-for-technology-inclusive-risk-informed-change-evaluation)
- [2026-11694 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-11/pdf/2026-11694.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-11693, Determination Under the Textile and Apparel Commercial Availability Provision o…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11693)
- [Next: 2026-11695, Procurement List; Deletions](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11695)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11694 (as of 2026-06-18).