[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 172 (Wednesday, September 7, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-21969]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 7, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530]

 

Arizona Public Service Company, et al., Palo Verde Nuclear 
Generating Station, Units Nos. 1, 2, and 3; Exemption

I

    Arizona Public Service Company (the licensee) is the holder of 
Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-41, NPF-51, and NPF-74, which 
authorizes operation of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, 
Units 1, 2, and 3 (Palo Verde), respectively. The license provides, 
among other things, that it is subject to all rules, regulations, and 
Orders of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) now or 
hereafter in effect. The Palo Verde facilities consist of three 
pressurized reactors located in Maricopa County, 50 miles west of 
Phoenix, Arizona.

II

    Paragraph (a) of Sec. 73.55, ``Requirements for physical protection 
of licensed activities in nuclear power reactors against radiological 
sabotage,'' of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
states, in part, that ``the licensee shall establish and maintain an 
onsite physical protection system and security organization which will 
have as its objective to provide high assurance that activities 
involving special nuclear material are not inimical to the common 
defense and security and do not constitute an unreasonable risk to the 
public health and safety.''
    Paragraph (1) of Sec. 73.55(d), ``Access Requirement,'' specifies 
that ``The licensee shall control all points of personnel and vehicle 
access into a protected area.'' Section 73.55(d)(5) requires that ``A 
numbered picture badge identification system shall be used for all 
individuals who are authorized access to protected areas without 
escort.'' Section 73.55(d)(5) also states that an individual not 
employed by the licensee (i.e., contractors) may be authorized access 
to protected areas without escort provided the individual ``receives a 
picture badge upon entrance into the protected area which must be 
returned upon exit from the protected area . . . .''
    The licensee proposed to implement an alternative unescorted access 
control system which would eliminate the need to issue and retrieve 
badges at each entrance/exit location and would allow all individuals 
with unescorted access to keep their badge with them when departing the 
site.
    An exemption from 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5) is required to allow 
contractors who have unescorted access to take their badges offsite 
instead of returning them when exiting the site. By letter dated April 
29, 1994, the licensee requested an exemption from certain requirements 
of 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5) for this purpose.

III

    Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, ``Specific exemptions,'' the Commission 
may, upon application of any interested person or upon its own 
initiative, grant such exemptions in this part as it determines are (1) 
authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common 
defense and security, and (2) are otherwise in the public interest.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.55, the Commission may authorize a licensee 
to provide alternative measures for protection against radiological 
sabotage provided the licensee demonstrates that the alternative 
measures have ``the same high assurance objective'' and meet ``the 
general performance requirements'' of the regulation, and ``the overall 
level of system performance provides protection against radiological 
sabotage equivalent'' to that which would be provided by the 
regulation.
    Currently, unescorted access into protected areas of the Palo Verde 
units is controlled through the use of a photograph on a badge/keycard 
(hereafter, referred to as badge). The security officers at each 
entrance station use the photograph on the badge to visually identify 
the individual requesting access. The individual is then given the 
badge to allow access. The badges for both licensee employees and 
contractor personnel who have been granted unescorted access are issued 
upon entrance at each entrance/exist location and are returned upon 
exit. The badges are stored and are retrievable at each entrance/exist 
location. In accordance with 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5), contractor individuals 
are not allowed to take badges offsite. In accordance with the plants' 
physical security plans, neither licensee employees nor contractors are 
allowed to take badges offsite.
    Under the proposed system, each individual who is authorized for 
unescorted entry into protected areas would have the physical 
characteristics of his/her hand (hand geometry) registered with his/her 
badge number in the access control computer. Access is then controlled 
by the individual requesting access placing his/her badge into the card 
reader and his/her hand on a measuring surface, the computer then 
compares the hand geometry to the registered badge number. If the 
characteristics of the hand geometry stored in the computer match the 
badge number, access is granted. If the characteristics do not match, 
access is denied. This provides a nontransferable means of identifying 
that the individual possessing the badge is the individual who was 
granted unescorted access. It also provides a positive means of 
assuring that a stolen or lost badge could not be used to gain access, 
thus eliminating the need to issue and retrieve the badges while 
maintaining the same high level of assurance that access is granted to 
only authorized individuals. All other access processes, including 
search function capability, would remain the same. The system will not 
be used for persons requiring escorted access (i.e., visitors). The 
access process will continue to be under the observation of security 
personnel located within a hardened cubicle who have final control over 
the release of the entrance station turnstiles. A numbered picture 
badge identification system will continue to be used for all 
individuals who are authorized access to the protected area with 
escorts. Badges will continue to be displayed by all individuals while 
inside the protected area.
    The licensee will use the hand geometry equipment which will meet 
the detection probability of 90 percent with a 95 percent confidence 
level. Testing evaluated by Sandia National Laboratory (Sandia report 
entitled ``A Performance Evaluation of Biometric Identification 
Devices,'' SAND91-0276 UC-906 Unlimited Release, Printed June 1991), 
demonstrated that the proposed hand geometry system is capable of 
meeting the proposed detection probability and confidence level. Based 
upon the results of the Sandia report and on its experience with the 
current photo-identification system, the proposed system will have a 
false acceptance rate less than the current system. The Physical 
Security Plans for the site will be revised to include implementation 
and testing of the hand geometry access control system and to allow 
licensee employees and contractors to take their badges offsite.

IV

    For the foregoing reasons, pursuant to 10 CFR 73.55, the NRC staff 
has determined that the proposed alternative measures for protection 
against radiological sabotage meet ``the same high assurance 
objective,'' and ``the general performance requirements'' of the 
regulation and that ``the overall level of system performance provides 
protection against radiological sabotage equivalent'' to that which 
would be provided by the regulation.
    Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 
73.5, an exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or 
property or common defense and security, and is otherwise in the public 
interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants Arizona Public 
Service Company an exemption from those requirements of 10 CFR 
73.55(d)(5) relating to the returning of picture badges upon exit from 
the protected area such that individuals not employed by the licensee, 
i.e., contractors, who are authorized unescorted access into the 
protected area, can take their badges offsite.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the 
granting of this exemption will not result in any significant adverse 
environmental impact (59 FR 41519).
    This exemption is effective upon issuance.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

    Dated at Rockville, MD, this 31st day of August 1994.
Jack W. Roe,
Director, Division of Reactor Projects III/IV, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-21969 Filed 9-6-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M