[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51692-51693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-25418]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-325 and 50-324]


Carolina Power & Light Company; Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, 
Units 1 and 2; Exemption

1.0  Background

    The Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L, the licensee) is the 
holder of Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-71 and DPR-62, which 
authorize operation of the Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and 
2 (BSEP). The licenses provide, among other things, that the facility 
is subject to all rules, regulations, and orders of the U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) now or hereafter in effect.
    The facility consists of two boiling-water reactors located in 
Brunswick County in North Carolina.

2.0  Request/Action

    Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), part 50, 
appendix G, requires that pressure-temperature (P-T) limit curves for 
BSEP be developed in accordance with the methods invoked by Appendix G 
to Section XI of the ASME Code.
    In summary, by letter dated May 1, 2001, the licensee submitted a 
request to use an exemption method that would allow CP&L to deviate 
from complying with the requirements in 10 CFR part 50, appendix G, for 
generating the P-T limit curves for BSEP.

3.0  Discussion

    Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the Commission may, upon application by 
any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from 
the requirements of 10 CFR part 50 when (1) the exemptions are 
authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to public health or 
safety, and are consistent with the common defense and security; and 
(2) when special circumstances are present. These circumstances include 
the special circumstances that 10 CFR 50.60 requires that all light-
water nuclear power reactors must meet the fracture toughness 
requirements of appendix G of 10 CFR 50. 10 CFR part 50, appendix G 
requires P-T limit curves to be at least as conservative as limits 
obtained by following the methods of analysis and the margins of safety 
of Appendix G of Section XI of the ASME Code. Requests for exemptions 
to the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, appendices G and H, may be 
submitted pursuant to 10 CFR 50.60(b), which allows licensees to use 
alternatives to the respective fracture toughness and reactor vessel 
material surveillance program requirements of the appendices, if an 
exemption to use the alternatives is granted by the Commission pursuant 
to 10 CFR 50.12. According to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(1), the Commission may 
grant exemptions to the requirements of 10 CFR part 50 if the 
exemptions are authorized by law, and will not present an undue risk to 
the public health and safety, and are consistent with the common 
defense and security.
    Based upon a consideration of the licensee's information and the 
NRC's Safety Evaluation, the staff concludes that granting an exemption 
under the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12(a)(1) is appropriate.

[[Page 51693]]

    The Safety Evaluation may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at 
the NRC's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available 
records will be accessible electronically from the ADAMS Public Library 
component on the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Public 
Electronic Reading Room).

4.0  Conclusion

    Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 
50.12(a), the exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or 
property or common defense and security, and is, otherwise, in the 
public interest. Also, special circumstances are present. Therefore, 
the Commission hereby grants CP&L an exemption from the requirements of 
10 CFR 50, appendix G, for generating the P-T limit curves for BSEP.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the 
granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on the 
quality of the human environment (66 FR 50458).
    This exemption is effective upon issuance.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of October 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John A. Zwolinski,
Director, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-25418 Filed 10-9-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P