[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 193 (Friday, October 4, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62272-62274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25245]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-395]


South Carolina Electric and Gas Co., Virgil C. Summer Nuclear 
Station; Notice of Acceptance for Docketing of the Application and 
Notice of Opportunity for a Hearing Regarding Renewal of Facility 
Operating License No. NPF-12 for an Additional 20-Year Period

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering an application for the renewal of Operating License No. 
NPF-12, which authorizes South Carolina Electric & Gas Company to 
operate Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, at 2900 megawatts thermal. 
The renewed license would authorize the applicant to operate the Virgil 
C. Summer Nuclear Station for an additional 20 years beyond the period 
specified in the current license. The current operating license for 
Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station expires on August 6, 2022.
    On August 6, 2002, the Commission received an application from 
South Carolina Electric & Gas Company to renew the operating license 
for the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station. A Notice of Receipt of 
Application, ``Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station; Notice of Receipt of 
Application for Renewal of Facility Operating License No. NPF-12 for an 
Additional 20-year Period,'' was published in the Federal Register on 
September 3, 2002, (67 FR 56316).
    The Commission's staff (the staff) has determined that South 
Carolina Electric & Gas Company has submitted information in accordance 
with 10 CFR 54.19, 54.21, 54.22, 54.23, and 51.53(c) that is complete 
and acceptable for docketing. The current Docket No. 50-395 for 
Operating License No. NPF-12 will be retained. The docketing of the 
renewal application does not preclude requesting additional information 
as the review proceeds, nor does it predict whether the Commission will 
grant or deny the application.
    Before issuance of each requested renewed license, the Commission 
will have made the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 
as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations. In 
accordance with 10 CFR 54.29, the Commission will issue a renewed 
license on the basis of its review if it finds that actions have been 
identified and have been or will be taken with respect to (1) managing 
the effects of aging during the period of extended operation on the 
functionality of structures and components that have been identified as 
requiring aging management review, and (2) time-limited aging analyses 
that have been identified as requiring review, such that there is 
reasonable assurance that the activities authorized by the renewed 
license will continue to be conducted in accordance with the current 
licensing basis (CLB) and that any changes made to the plant's CLB 
comply with the Act and the Commission's regulations.
    Additionally, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.95(c), the Commission 
will prepare an environmental impact statement that is a supplement to 
NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License 
Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants'' (May 1996). Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.26, 
and as part of the environmental scoping process, the staff intends to 
hold a public scoping meeting. Detailed information regarding this 
meeting will be included in a future Federal Register notice. The 
Commission also intends to hold public meetings to discuss the license 
renewal process and the schedule for conducting the review. The 
Commission will provide prior notice of these meetings. As discussed 
further herein, in the event that a hearing is held, issues that may be 
litigated will be confined to those pertinent to the foregoing.
    Within 30 days from the date of publication of this Federal 
Register notice, the applicant may file a request for a hearing, and 
any person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding and who 
wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding must file a written 
request for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene with 
respect to the renewal of the licenses in accordance with the 
provisions of 10 CFR 2.714.

[[Page 62273]]

    Interested persons should consult a current copy of 10 CFR 
2.714,\1\ which is available at the Commission's Public Document Room 
(PDR), 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor) Rockville, Maryland, and on 
the Commission's Web site at http://www.nrc.gov (the Public Electronic 
Reading Room). If a request for a hearing or a petition for leave to 
intervene is filed by the above date, the Commission or an Atomic 
Safety and Licensing Board designated by the Commission or by the 
Chairman of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel will rule on 
the request(s) and/or petition(s), and the Secretary or the designated 
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of hearing or an 
appropriate order. In the event that no request for a hearing or 
petition for leave to intervene is filed by the above date, the 
Commission may, upon completion of its evaluations and upon making the 
findings required under 10 CFR parts 51 and 54, renew the licenses 
without further notice.
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    \1\ The most recent version of Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations, published January 1, 2002, inadvertently omitted the 
last sentence of 10 CFR 2.714(d) and paragraphs (d)(1) and (2), 
regarding petitions to intervene and contentions. Those provisions 
are extant and still applicable to petitions to intervene. Those 
provisions are as follows:
    In all other circumstances, such ruling body or officer shall, 
in ruling on--
    (1) A petition for leave to intervene or a request for hearing, 
consider the following factors, among other things: (i) The nature 
of the petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to the 
proceeding. (ii) The nature and extent of the petitioner's property, 
financial, or other interest in the proceeding. (iii) The possible 
effect of any order that may be entered in the proceeding on the 
petitioner's interest.
    (2) The admissibility of a contention, refuse to admit a 
contention if: (i) The contention and supporting material fail to 
satisfy the requirements of paragraph (b)(2) of this section; or 
(ii) The contention, if proven, would be of no consequence in the 
proceeding because it would not entitle petitioner to relief.
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    As required by 10 CFR 2.714, a petition for leave to intervene 
shall set forth, with particularity, the interest of the petitioner in 
the proceeding and how that interest may be affected by the results of 
the proceeding, taking into consideration the limited scope of matters 
that may be considered pursuant to 10 CFR parts 51 and 54. The petition 
must specifically explain the reasons why intervention should be 
permitted with particular reference to the following factors: (1) The 
nature of the petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to 
the proceeding, (2) the nature and extent of the petitioner's property, 
financial, or other interest in the proceeding, and (3) the possible 
effect of any order that may be entered in the proceeding on the 
petitioner's interest. The petition must also identify the specific 
aspect(s) of the subject matter of the proceeding as to which 
petitioner wishes to intervene. Any person who has filed a petition for 
leave to intervene or who has been admitted as a party may amend the 
petition without requesting leave of the board up to 15 days before the 
first prehearing conference scheduled in the proceeding, but such an 
amended petition must satisfy the specific requirements described 
above.
    Not later than 15 days before the first prehearing conference 
scheduled in the proceeding, a petitioner shall file a supplement to 
the petition to intervene that must include a list of the contentions 
that the petitioner seeks to have litigated in the hearing. Each 
contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue of law or 
fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the petitioner shall 
provide a brief explanation of the bases of each contention and a 
concise statement of the alleged facts or the expert opinion that 
supports the contention and on which the petitioner intends to rely in 
proving the contention at the hearing. The petitioner must also provide 
references to those specific sources and documents of which the 
petitioner is aware and on which the petitioner intends to rely to 
establish those facts or expert opinion. The petitioner must provide 
sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the 
applicant on a material issue of law or fact. Contentions shall be 
limited to matters within the scope of the action under consideration. 
The contention must be one that, if proven, would entitle the 
petitioner to relief. A petitioner who fails to file such a supplement 
that satisfies these requirements with respect to at least one 
contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.
    Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, 
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, 
and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the 
hearing, including the opportunity to present evidence and cross-
examine witnesses.
    Requests for a hearing and petitions for leave to intervene must be 
filed with the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and 
Adjudications Staff, or may be delivered to the Commission's PDR, 
located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), 
Rockville, Maryland, by the above date. Because of the continuing 
disruptions in delivery of mail to United States Government offices, it 
is requested that petitions for leave to intervene and requests for 
hearing be transmitted to the Secretary of the Commission either by 
means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-1101 or by e-mail to 
[email protected]. A copy of the request for leave to intervene and 
request for hearing should also be sent to the Office of the General 
Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, 
and, because of continuing disruptions in delivery of mail to United 
States Government offices, it is requested that copies be transmitted 
either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-3725 or by e-mail 
to [email protected]. A copy of the request for hearing and 
petition for leave to intervene should also be sent to Mr. Stephen A. 
Byrne, Sr. Vice President--Nuclear Operations, South Carolina Electric 
& Gas Company, Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, PO Box 88, 
Jenkinsville, SC 29065.
    Nontimely filings of petitions for leave to intervene, amended 
petitions, supplemental petitions, and/or requests for a hearing will 
not be entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the 
presiding officer, or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the 
petition and/or request should be granted based upon a balancing of the 
factors specified in 10 CFR 2.714(a)(1)(i)-(v) and 2.714(d).
    Detailed information about the license renewal process can be found 
on the Commission's Web page at http://www.nrc.gov. A copy of the 
application is available for public inspection at the Commission's PDR, 
located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), 
Rockville, Maryland, or on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/summer.html, while 
the application is under review. The staff has verified that a copy of 
the license renewal application for the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear 
Station is also available to local residents at the Fairfield County 
Library, in Winnsboro, South Carolina, and at the Thomas Cooper 
Library, at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South 
Carolina.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day of September, 2002.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pao-Tsin Kuo,
 Program Director, License Renewal and Environmental Impacts Division 
of Regulatory Improvement Programs Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 02-25245 Filed 10-3-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P