[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 54 (Monday, March 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13609-13610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6190]
[[Page 13609]]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-327 and 50-328; NRC-2010-0021]
Tennessee Valley Authority Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2
Exemption
1.0 Background
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, the licensee) is the holder of
Facility Operating License Numbers DPR-77 and DPR-79, which authorize
operation of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (SQN). 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 Westinghouse pressurized-water
reactors located in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
2.0 Request/Action
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 73,
``Physical protection of plants and materials,'' Section 73.55,
``Requirements for physical protection of licensed activities in
nuclear power reactors against radiological sabotage,'' published March
27, 2009, effective May 26, 2009, with a full implementation date of
March 31, 2010, requires licensees to protect, with high assurance,
against radiological sabotage by designing and implementing
comprehensive site security programs. The amendments to 10 CFR 73.55
published on March 27, 2009, establish and update generically
applicable security requirements similar to those previously imposed by
Commission orders issued after the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, and implemented by licensees. In addition, the amendments to 10
CFR 73.55 include additional requirements to further enhance site
security based upon insights gained from implementation of the post
September 11, 2001, security orders. It is from two of these new
requirements that SQN now seeks an exemption from the March 31, 2010,
implementation date. All other physical security requirements
established by this recent rulemaking have already been or will be
implemented by the licensee by March 31, 2010. By letter dated November
6, 2009, as supplemented by letter dated January 11, 2010, the licensee
requested an exemption in accordance with 10 CFR 73.5, ``Specific
exemptions.'' Portions of the licensee's November 6, 2009, letter
contain safeguards and security sensitive information and, accordingly,
are not available to the public. The January 11, 2010, letter is
publicly available (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
Accession No. ML100130169). The licensee has requested an exemption
from the March 31, 2010, compliance date stating that it must complete
a number of significant modifications to the current site security
configuration before all requirements can be met. Specifically, the
request is for two specific 10 CFR 73.55 requirements that would be in
place by September 24, 2012, versus the March 31, 2010, deadline. Being
granted this exemption for the two items would allow the licensee to
complete the modifications designed to update aging equipment and
incorporate state-of-the-art technology to meet or exceed regulatory
requirements.
3.0 Discussion of Part 73 Schedule Exemptions From the March 31, 2010,
Full Implementation Date
Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.55(a)(1), ``By March 31, 2010, each nuclear
power reactor licensee, licensed under 10 CFR Part 50, shall implement
the requirements of this section through its Commission-approved
Physical Security Plan, Training and Qualification Plan, Safeguards
Contingency Plan, and Cyber Security Plan referred to collectively
hereafter as `security plans.' '' Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, the
Commission may, upon application by any interested person or upon its
own initiative, grant exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR Part
73 when the exemptions are authorized by law, and will not endanger
life or property or the common defense and security, and are otherwise
in the public interest.
NRC approval of this exemption, as noted above, would allow an
extension from March 31, 2010, until September 24, 2012. As stated
above, 10 CFR 73.5 allows the NRC to grant exemptions from the
requirements of 10 CFR Part 73. The NRC staff has determined that
granting of the licensee's proposed exemption would not result in a
violation of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, or the
Commission's regulations. Therefore, NRC approval of the licensee's
exemption request is authorized by law.
In the draft final rule provided to the Commission, the NRC staff
proposed that the requirements of the new regulation be met within 180
days. The Commission directed a change from 180 days to approximately 1
year for licensees to fully implement the new requirements. This change
was incorporated into the final rule (74 FR 13926, March 27, 2009).
From this, it is clear that the Commission wanted to provide a
reasonable timeframe for licensees to achieve full compliance.
As noted in the final power reactor security rule, the Commission
also anticipated that licensees would have to conduct site-specific
analyses to determine what changes were necessary to implement the
rule's requirements, and that these changes could be accomplished
through a variety of licensing mechanisms, including exemptions. Since
issuance of the final rule, the Commission has rejected generic
industry requests to extend the rule's compliance date for all
operating nuclear power plants, but noted that the Commission's
regulations provide mechanisms for individual licensees, with good
cause, to apply for relief from the compliance date (Reference: June 4,
2009, letter from R. W. Borchardt, NRC, to M. S. Fertel, Nuclear Energy
Institute). The licensee's request for an exemption is, therefore,
consistent with the approach set forth by the Commission and discussed
in the June 4, 2009, letter.
Sequoyah Schedule Exemption Request
The licensee provided detailed information in its November 6, 2009,
letter, as supplemented by letter dated January 11, 2010, requesting an
exemption. The NRC staff finds that the licensee has provided an
adequate basis for the exemption request as well as appropriate
detailed justification that describes the reason additional time is
needed. Specifically, the SQN will be undertaking multiple large scope
modifications to the physical protection program through three
interrelated projects that require multiple supporting subtasks. These
subtasks must be completed in sequence due to the complex
interconnectivity of each project to other program components. The
licensee has provided sufficiently detailed technical information that
supports the described solution for meeting the identified
requirements. Because of the large scope of the proposed modifications
and upgrades, significant engineering analysis, design, and planning
are required to ensure system effectiveness upon completion of the
three projects. In addition to project-specific tasks and procurement
details, the TVA has also identified a variety of site-specific
considerations that will impact the final completion date, such as
refueling outages, manpower resources, engineering/design changes
during construction, and/or weather conditions that may impact
completion milestones. As with all construction activities, the
licensee must also account for site-specific safety and
[[Page 13610]]
construction methods regarding the areas in which work is to be
performed, the location of existing infrastructure such as buried power
lines, and/or unanticipated delays that could significantly impact the
project schedules. These site-specific safety and construction methods
must be accounted for in the proposed schedule that, in turn, impacts
the final compliance date requested. The licensee has provided a
coordinated/combined schedule for all three projects at SQN that
outlines the sequence in which work must be conducted to ensure
effective system connectivity. The required tasks/changes must be
completed in sequence at each site to support all program upgrades
being performed and to ensure effective connectivity of each project.
The upgrades that the licensee identified within their exemption
request support their solution for meeting the requirements.
The proposed implementation schedule depicts the critical activity
milestones of the security system upgrades; is consistent with the
licensee's solution for meeting the requirements; is consistent with
the scope of the modifications and the issues and challenges
identified; and is consistent with the licensee's requested compliance
date.
Notwithstanding the scheduler exemptions for these limited
requirements, the licensee will continue to be in compliance with all
other applicable physical security requirements as described in 10 CFR
73.55 and reflected in its current NRC approved physical security
program. By September 24, 2012, SQN will be in full compliance with all
the regulatory requirements of 10 CFR 73.55, as issued on March 27,
2009.
4.0 Conclusion for Part 73 Schedule Exemption Request
The staff has reviewed the licensee's submittals and concludes that
the licensee has provided adequate justification for its request for an
extension of the compliance date to September 24, 2012, with regard to
two specified requirements of 10 CFR 73.55.
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that pursuant to 10 CFR
73.5, the exemption from the March 31, 2010, compliance date is
authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common
defense and security, and is otherwise in the public interest.
Therefore, the Commission hereby grants the requested exemption.
The NRC staff has determined that the long-term benefits that will
be realized when the security system upgrades are complete justify
exceeding the full compliance date in the case of this particular
licensee. The security measures SQN needs additional time to implement
are new requirements imposed by March 27, 2009, amendments to 10 CFR
73.55, and are in addition to those required by the security orders
issued in response to the events of September 11, 2001. Therefore, the
NRC staff concludes that the licensee's actions are in the best
interest of protecting the public health and safety through the
security changes that will result from granting this exemption.
As per the licensee's request and the NRC's regulatory authority to
grant an exemption from the March 31, 2010, implementation deadline for
the two items specified in Enclosure 1 of the TVA letter dated November
6, 2009, as supplemented by letter dated January 11, 2010, the licensee
is required to be in full compliance by September 24, 2012. In
achieving compliance, the licensee is reminded that it is responsible
for determining the appropriate licensing mechanism (i.e., 10 CFR
50.54(p) or 10 CFR 50.90) for incorporation of all necessary changes to
its security plans.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, ``Finding of no significant impact,'' the
Commission has previously determined that the granting of this
exemption will not have a significant effect on the quality of the
human environment (75 FR 3762, dated January 22, 2010).
This exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of March 2010.
For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Joseph G. Giitter,
Director, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-6190 Filed 3-19-10; 8:45 am]
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