[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3345-3346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-619]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Final Regulatory Guide; Issuance, Availability
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a revision
to an existing guide in the agency's Regulatory Guide Series. This
series has been developed to describe and make available to the public
such information as methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for
implementing specific parts of the NRC's regulations, techniques that
the staff uses in evaluating specific problems or postulated accidents,
and data that the staff needs in its review of applications for permits
and licenses.
Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide 1.152, entitled ``Criteria for Use
of Computers in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants,'' describes a
method that the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
deems acceptable for complying with the Commission's regulations for
promoting high functional reliability, design quality, and cyber-
security for the use of digital computers in safety systems of nuclear
power plants. In this context, the term ``computer'' identifies a
system that includes computer hardware, software, firmware, and
interfaces.
The guidance provided in Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide 1.152 is
consistent with General Design Criterion (GDC) 21, ``Protection System
Reliability and Testability,'' of Appendix A, ``General Design Criteria
for Nuclear Power Plants,'' to title 10, part 50, ``Domestic Licensing
of Production and Utilization Facilities,'' of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR part 50). Among other things, GDC 21 requires that
protection systems (or safety systems) must be designed for high
functional reliability, commensurate with the safety functions to be
performed. In addition, Criterion III, ``Design Control,'' of Appendix
B, ``Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel
Reprocessing Plants,'' to 10 CFR part 50 requires, among other things,
that quality standards must be specified, and design control measures
must be provided, for verifying or checking the adequacy of design.
Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide 1.152 also contains the staff's
regulatory
[[Page 3346]]
position on IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003, ``Standard Criteria for Digital
Computers in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Generating Stations,''
which was prepared by Working Group SC 6.4, ``Application of
Programmable Digital Computers to Safety Systems,'' of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Nuclear Power Engineering
Committee. This standard evolved from IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-1993 and
reflects advances in digital technology. It also represents a continued
effort by IEEE to support the specification, design, and implementation
of computers in safety systems of nuclear power plants. In addition,
IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003 specifies computer-specific requirements to
supplement the criteria and requirements of IEEE Std 603-1998,
``Standard Criteria for Safety Systems for Nuclear Power Generating
Stations.''
In Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide 1.152, the staff endorses IEEE
Std 7-4.3.2-2003, with certain exceptions, as an acceptable method for
satisfying the NRC's regulations with respect to (1) high functional
reliability and design requirements for computers used in safety
systems of nuclear power plants, and (2) independence between safety
software and nonsafety software residing on the same computer.
The NRC previously solicited public comments on this revised guide
by publishing a Federal Register notice (69 FR 75359) concerning Draft
Regulatory Guide DG-1130 on December 16, 2004. Following the closure of
the public comment period on March 14, 2005, the staff considered all
stakeholder comments in the course of preparing Revision 2 of
Regulatory Guide 1.152.
The NRC staff encourages and welcomes comments and suggestions in
connection with improvements to published regulatory guides, as well as
items for inclusion in regulatory guides that are currently being
developed. You may submit comments by any of the following methods.
Mail comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001.
Hand-deliver comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on
Federal workdays.
Fax comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 415-5144.
Requests for technical information about Revision 2 of Regulatory
Guide 1.152 may be directed to NRC Senior Program Manager, Satish
Aggarwal, at (301) 415-6005 or [email protected].
Regulatory guides are available for inspection or downloading
through the NRC's public Web site in the Regulatory Guides document
collection of the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/. Electronic copies of Revision 2 of
Regulatory Guide 1.152 are also available in the NRC's Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, under Accession ML053070150.
In addition, regulatory guides are available for inspection at the
NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), which is located at 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland; the PDR's mailing address is USNRC PDR,
Washington, DC 20555-0001. The PDR can also be reached by telephone at
(301) 415-4737 or (800) 397-4205, by fax at (301) 415-3548, and by e-
mail to [email protected]. Requests for single copies of draft or final
guides (which may be reproduced) or for placement on an automatic
distribution list for single copies of future draft guides in specific
divisions should be made in writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Reproduction and
Distribution Services Section; by e-mail to [email protected]; or by
fax to (301) 415-2289. Telephone requests cannot be accommodated.
Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and Commission approval is
not required to reproduce them.
(5 U.S.C. 552(a))
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of December, 2005.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
James T. Wiggins,
Deputy Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. E6-619 Filed 1-19-06; 8:45 am]
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