[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45466-45467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-15926]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Notice of Availability of the Final License Renewal Interim Staff 
Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03: Staff Guidance for Preparing Severe Accident 
Mitigation Alternatives Analyses

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: NRC is issuing its Final License Renewal Interim Staff 
Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03 for preparing severe accident mitigation 
alternatives (SAMA) analyses. This LR-ISG recommends that applicants 
for license renewal use the Guidance Document Nuclear Energy Institute 
05-01, Revision A, (ADAMS Accession No. ML060530203) when preparing 
their SAMA analyses. The NRC staff issues LR-ISGs to facilitate timely 
implementation of the license renewal rule and to review activities 
associated with a license renewal application. The NRC staff will also 
incorporate the approved LR-ISG into the next revision of Supplement 1 
to Regulatory Guide 4.2, ``Preparation of Supplemental Environmental 
Reports for Applications to Renew Nuclear Power Plant Operating 
Licenses.''

ADDRESSES: The NRC maintains an Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's 
public documents. These documents may be accessed through the NRC's 
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who 
encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should 
contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-
397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard L. Emch, Jr., Senior 
Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone 301-415-
1590 or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Attachment 1 to this Federal Register 
notice, entitled Staff Position and Rationale for the Final License 
Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03: Staff Guidance for 
Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) Analyses 
contains the NRC staff's rationale for publishing the Final LR-ISG-
2006-03. Attachment 2 to this Federal Register notice, entitled 
Proposed License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03: Staff 
Guidance for Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) 
Analyses, contains the guidance for preparing SAMA analyses related to 
license renewal applications. The NRC staff approves this LR-ISG for 
NRC and industry use. The NRC staff will also incorporate the approved 
LR-ISG into the next revision of Supplement 1 to Regulatory Guide 4.2, 
``Preparation of Supplemental Environmental Reports for Applications to 
Renew Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses.''

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of August 2007.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pao-Tsin Kuo,
Director, Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.
Attachment 1--Staff Position and Rationale for the Final License 
Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03: Staff Guidance for 
Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives Analyses
    Staff Position: The NRC staff recommends that applicants for 
license renewal follow the guidance provided in Nuclear Energy 
Institute (NEI) 05-01, ``Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) 
Analysis--Guidance Document,'' Revision A, when preparing their SAMA 
analyses.
    Rationale: The NEI developed a generic Guidance Document NEI 05-01, 
Revision A, to help clarify the NRC staff's expectations regarding the 
information that needs to be included in SAMA analyses. The NRC staff 
reviewed and concluded that NEI 05-01, Revision A, describes existing 
NRC regulations and facilitates complete preparation of SAMA analysis 
submittals. The staff finds that utilization of the guidance provided 
in NEI 05-01, Revision A, will result in improved quality in SAMA 
analyses and a reduction in the number of requests for additional 
information.
Attachment 2--Final License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-
03: Staff Guidance for Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation 
Alternatives Analyses

Introduction

    A severe accident mitigation alternatives (SAMA) analyses is 
required as part of a license renewal application, if a SAMA analysis 
has not already been performed for the plant and reviewed by the NRC 
staff. SAMA analyses have been performed and submitted to the NRC for 
all applications for license renewal received by the staff thus far. 
Therefore, this LR-ISG is being recommended as guidance consistent with 
our goal to more effectively and efficiently resolve license renewal 
issues identified by the staff or the industry.

Background and Discussion

    After receiving extensive requests for additional information 
regarding the SAMA analyses, several applicants for license renewal 
concluded that they did not fully understand the kind of information 
that the NRC staff was expecting to see in SAMA analyses.
    The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) developed a generic guidance 
document to help clarify the NRC staff's expectations regarding the 
information that should be submitted in SAMA analyses. On April 8, 
2005, NEI submitted NEI 05-01, ``Severe Accident Mitigation 
Alternatives (SAMA) Analysis--Guidance Document.'' The NRC staff 
reviewed this guidance document, and by letter, dated July 12, 2005, 
provided comments on NEI 05-01. The NRC staff's comments were discussed 
during a public meeting between NEI and NRC on July 21, 2005.
    On February 17, 2006, NEI submitted its NEI 05-01, Revision A, 
dated November 2005. The NRC staff reviewed and concluded that this 
version fully resolved the NRC staff's comments. In addition, the NRC 
staff concluded that NEI 05-01, Revision A, describes existing NRC 
regulations, and facilitates complete preparation of SAMA analysis 
submittals.
    Some applicants for license renewal have submitted SAMA analyses 
using the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Revision A. The NRC staff 
found improved quality in the submitted SAMA analyses and a reduction 
in the

[[Page 45467]]

number of requests for additional information for those applications 
that followed the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Revision A.

Recommended Action

    The staff is recommending that applicants for license renewal 
follow the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Revision A, when preparing 
their SAMA analyses. The staff finds that NEI 05-01, Revision A, 
describes existing NRC regulations, and facilitates complete 
preparation of SAMA analysis submittals.
    Although this proposed LR-ISG does not convey a change in the NRC's 
regulations or how they are interpreted, it is being provided to 
facilitate complete preparation of future SAMA analysis submittals in 
support of applications for license renewal. The NRC staff plans to 
incorporate the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Revision A, into a 
future update of Supplement 1 to Regulatory Guide 4.2, ``Preparation of 
Supplemental Environmental Reports for Applications to Renew Nuclear 
Power Plant Operating Licenses.'' This LR-ISG provides a clarification 
of existing guidance with no additional requirements. For those that 
are interested in reviewing NEI 05-01, Revision A, the Agencywide 
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession Number is 
ML060530203.

 [FR Doc. E7-15926 Filed 8-13-07; 8:45 am]
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