[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]


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


NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Proposed License Renewal Regulatory Guide Workshop and Continuing 
Guidance Development

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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

SUMMARY: The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will 
hold a public workshop on the draft guide for

[[Page 50336]]

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

[[Page 50337]]

    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]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P