[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50335-50337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24412]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Proposed License Renewal Regulatory Guide Workshop and Continuing
Guidance Development
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of public workshop.
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SUMMARY: The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will
hold a public workshop on the draft guide for
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implementation of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 54,
``Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power
Plants'' (the license renewal rule). Information will be provided at
the workshop on the NRC staff's proposed draft regulatory guide and an
industry implementation guideline for the format and content of a
license renewal application. Staff observations of an industry program
performed to demonstrate plant-specific implementation of the industry
guideline will also be provided. The staff will use the information or
comments received from members of the public and the experience gained
through its observation of the plant-specific demonstrations to
determine whether changes are needed in the draft guide or industry
guideline.
DATES: October 29, 1996, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The workshop will provide the participants an opportunity to obtain
further information, ask questions, make comments during the
discussion, or submit written comments for NRC consideration. To ensure
there are adequate copies of handouts available, persons planning to
attend the workshop should call the contact designated below by October
15, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Auditorium of NRC's Two White Flint North Building, 11545
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Raj K. Anand, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC-
20555, Telephone (301) 415-1146; Fax (301) 415-2279 Internet:
[email protected]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC published a notice of availability
and request for public comments in the Federal Register on August 26,
1996 (61 FR 43792), for Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1047, ``Standard
Format and Content for Applications to Renew Nuclear Power Plant
Operating Licenses,'' as part of the implementation of the license
renewal rule. This draft regulatory guide is being developed to provide
a uniform format and content acceptable to the staff for structuring
and presenting the information to be compiled and submitted in an
application for renewal of a nuclear power plant operating license.
This draft guide proposes to endorse the Nuclear Energy Institute's
(NEIs) guidance document NEI 95-10, ``Industry Guideline for
Implementing the Requirements of 10 CFR Part 54--The License Renewal
Rule,'' Revision O, dated March 1, 1996, as an acceptable method for
complying with the requirements of the license renewal rule.
The draft regulatory guide and NEI 95-10 are being developed to
provide guidance regarding the contents of an application for license
renewal that includes (1) required general information concerning the
applicant and the plant, (2) information contained in the integrated
plant assessment, (3) evaluation of time-limited aging analyses
(TLAAs), (4) a supplement to the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR),
(5) technical specification changes and their justification, and (6) a
supplement to the environmental report. Specifically, guidance is
provided for (1) identifying the systems, structures, and components
within the scope of the license renewal rule, (2) identifying the
intended functions of systems, structures, and components within the
scope of the license renewal rule, (3) identifying the structures and
components subject to aging management review, (4) assuring that the
effects of aging are managed, (5) identifying and evaluating TLAAs, and
(6) establishing the format and content of the license renewal
application and FSAR supplement.
The NRC staff is observing an NEI-sponsored program that will
demonstrate plant-specific implementation of NEI 95-10. This program
will test the ability of participating utilities to understand and use
the guidance contained in NEI 95-10. This program is scheduled to be
completed in September 1996, and the staff is issuing trip reports
documenting its observations of each participant's demonstration. At
the conclusion of the program, the staff will compile its observations
from the program into a lessons-learned report. The draft regulatory
guide, NEI 95-10, and the demonstration program reports are available
for inspection or copying at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), 2120
L Street, NW, Washington, DC (the PDR's mailing address is Mail Stop
LL-6, Washington, DC 20555; telephone (202) 634-3273; fax (202) 634-
3343). In addition, copies of the draft guide, NEI 95-10, and the
demonstration program reports will be available at the workshop.
During development of the draft regulatory guide and NEI 95-10, the
NRC staff determined that development of final guidance for certain
topics was best deferred until completion of the demonstration program
when additional experience with implementation of the license renewal
rule and the existing NEI 95-10 guidance could be obtained. These
topics include guidance on (1) the level of detail required for a
license renewal application and the level of detail and content of the
associated FSAR supplement, (2) the approach for using pre-approved
topical reports in an application, and (3) the overall level of detail
contained in NEI 95-10. Although preliminary guidance is provided in
the draft guide and NEI 95-10 for these topics, the staff intends to
revisit these topics when finalizing the regulatory guide. The NRC
staff solicits suggestions in these areas.
The draft regulatory guide has not received complete staff review
and does not represent an official NRC staff position. Public comments
are being solicited on the guide as described in the Federal Register
notice for the draft guide (61 FR 43792). Written comments are
requested by November 29, 1996. Comments received after this date will
be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able
to assure consideration only for comments received on or before this
date.
The workshop is scheduled prior to the expiration of the public
comment period to allow interested parties to obtain further
information on the draft guide, NEI 95-10, and demonstration program
for consideration when submitting written comments.
Continuing Guidance Development: Based on experience with the
demonstration program to date, the NRC staff and NEI have identified a
number of topics for which additional guidance for inclusion in either
the regulatory guide or NEI 95-10 may be beneficial. The staff and NEI
plan to continue to refine the guidance provided in the draft guide and
NEI 95-10 on some of these topics during the public comment period. The
process will involve public meetings and written correspondence between
the staff and NEI. Meetings conducted between the staff and NEI and
other outside parties will be announced and a summary placed in the
PDR. Copies of documents generated as part of this effort will be
available in the PDR. This activity will develop only proposed changes
to the regulatory guide or NEI 95-10. Final changes to the regulatory
guide or NEI 95-10 will not be made until after the public comment
period expires and public comments have been considered. Significant
changes in the version of the draft guide or NEI 95-10 noticed for
public comment on August 26, 1996, that result from this activity will
be summarized in the Federal Register notice for the final regulatory
guide along with the resolution of public comments received.
Tentative Workshop Agenda
Registration
Introduction
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License Renewal Rule and Guidance Development Overview
Draft Regulatory Guide and Industry Guideline Content
License Renewal Demonstration Program Overview
NRC Lessons-Learned
Industry Lessons-Learned
Comments and Questions
Summary and Conclusions
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of September 1996.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Stephen T. Hoffman,
Senior Project Manager, License Renewal Project Directorate, Division
of Reactor Program Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
[FR Doc. 96-24412 Filed 9-24-96; 8:45 am]
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