[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]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P