[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 7518]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-1985]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Availability of Technical Study of Spent Fuel Pool Accident Risk 
at Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability of report.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued its 
``Technical Study of Spent Fuel Pool Accident Risk at Decommissioning 
Nuclear Power Plants.''
    As the number of power reactors involved in the decommissioning 
process increases, the ability to address regulatory issues generically 
has become more important. After a nuclear power plant permanently 
shuts down and the reactor is defueled, the traditional accident 
sequences that dominate operating reactor risk are no longer 
applicable. The predominant source of risk remaining at permanently 
shutdown plants involves accidents associated with spent fuel stored in 
the spent fuel pool.
    Following a Commission meeting held on March 17, 1999, the NRC 
staff formed a technical working group to evaluate spent fuel pool 
accident risk at decommissioning plants. The staff set out to develop a 
risk-informed technical basis that could be used to develop rulemaking 
and to establish a predictable method for reviewing future exemption 
requests and to identify the need for any research in areas of large 
uncertainty. The staff intends for this approach to meet the NRC 
outcome goals of maintaining safety, reducing unnecessary regulatory 
burden, increasing public confidence, and improving efficiency and 
effectiveness.
    Preliminary versions of the study were issued for public comment 
and technical review in June 1999 and February 2000. A public workshop 
to discuss the report was held in July 1999. Comments received from 
industry and public stakeholders, the Advisory Committee on Reactor 
Safety, and other technical reviewers have been considered in preparing 
the report. Quality assessment of the staff's preliminary analysis has 
been aided by a small panel of human reliability analysis experts who 
evaluated the human performance analysis assumptions, methods, and 
modeling. A broad quality review was carried out at the Idaho National 
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.

ADDRESSES: The report is available at the NRC Public Document 
Room,11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, and through the NRC 
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at 
ML010160527 for the report and ML010160532 for the appendices. The 
report is also available via the Internet on the NRC web page at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/REACTOR/DECOMMISSIONING/SF/index.html. Requests for 
single copies may be made to David J. Wrona, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Mail Stop O-7C2, Washington, DC 20555-0001 or by telephone 
at 301-415-1924 or email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Hubbard, U.S. NRC, Office of 
Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Mail Stop O-11A11, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone 301-415-2870; email: [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of January, 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Stuart A. Richards,
Director, Project Directorate IV & Decommissioning, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-1985 Filed 1-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P