[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 52 (Friday, March 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15818-15819]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6409]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2011-0191]
License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2011-05: Ongoing
Review of Operating Experience
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Interim staff guidance; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing the
final License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance (LR-ISG), LR-ISG-2011-05,
``Ongoing Review of Operating Experience.'' This LR-ISG provides
guidance and clarification concerning ongoing reviews of plant-specific
and industry-wide operating experience as an attribute of aging
management programs used at nuclear power plants as described in NUREG-
1801, Revision 2, ``Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report,''
(Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession
No. ML103490041), and NUREG-1800, Revision 2, ``Standard Review Plan
for Review of License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants''
(SRP-LR) (ADAMS Accession No. ML103490036).
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0191 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may access information related to this document, which the NRC
possesses and is publicly-available, using the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2011-0191. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-492-
3668; email: [email protected].
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may access publicly-available documents online in the NRC
Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documentsz,'' and then select ``Begin
Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the
NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209,
301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. The final LR-ISG-
2011-05 is available under ADAMS Accession No. ML12044A215.
NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
NRC's Interim Staff Guidance Web Site: LR-ISG documents
are also available online under the ``License Renewal'' heading at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/#int.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Matthew Homiack, Division of
License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-
1683; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background Information
The NRC issues LR-ISG to communicate insights and lessons learned
and to address emergent issues not covered in license renewal guidance
documents. In this way, the NRC staff and stakeholders may use the
guidance in an LR-ISG document until it is incorporated into a formal
license renewal guidance document revision. The NRC staff issues LR-ISG
in accordance with the LR-ISG Process, Revision 2 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML100920158), for which a notice of availability was published in the
Federal Register on June 22, 2010 (75 FR 35510).
The NRC staff developed LR-ISG-2011-05 to clarify guidance on how
the ongoing review of operating experience should be used to ensure the
effectiveness of the license renewal aging management programs used at
nuclear power plants to meet the requirements of Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 54, ``Requirements for Renewal of
Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants.'' The final LR-ISG-2011-05
revises the NRC staff's recommended aging management programs in the
GALL Report and the NRC staff's aging management review procedures and
acceptance criteria in the SRP-LR.
On August 24, 2011 (76 FR 52995), the NRC requested public comments
on draft LR-ISG-2011-05. By letter dated August 29, 2011 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML11242A114), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)
requested a 30-day extension to the comment period and a public meeting
to discuss draft comments and questions concerning implementation of
the LR-ISG. The NRC staff granted the NEI's requests, as noticed on
September 20, 2011 (76 FR 58311). The public meeting was held on
October 12, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML11304A259), and the comment
period was extended until October 23, 2011.
During this time, the NRC staff identified the need to include
additional guidance on areas where license renewal applicants should
ensure their programmatic activities for operating experience reviews
are appropriate for considering operating experience related to aging
management. The NRC staff identified this need through its ongoing
reviews of license renewal applications and through insights gained on
how nuclear power plant licensees carry out their operating experience
review activities. The additional guidance covers areas where
enhancements may need to be made for license renewal, such as the
specific kind of information that should be considered as operating
experience, the training of plant personnel, information to consider in
operating experience evaluations, criteria for identifying and
[[Page 15819]]
categorizing operating experience as related to aging, and guidelines
for reporting operating experience on age-related degradation to the
industry. The NRC staff outlined these changes at the October 12, 2011,
public meeting and a revised draft LR-ISG was issued for public comment
on November 25, 2011 (76 FR 72725).
The NRC received comments from Exelon Generation Company, LLC, by
letter dated October 18, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML11298A171), and
from the NEI by letters dated October 18, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML11293A041), and December 15, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML11354A228).
No other comments were submitted. The NRC considered these comments in
developing the final LR-ISG. Detailed responses to the comments can be
found in Appendix C of the final LR-ISG.
The final LR-ISG-2011-05 is approved for NRC staff and stakeholder
use and will be incorporated into NRC's next formal license renewal
guidance document revision.
Backfitting and Issue Finality
Issuance of this final LR-ISG does not constitute backfitting as
defined in 10 CFR 50.109 (the Backfit Rule) and is not otherwise
inconsistent with the issue finality provisions in Part 52, ``Licenses,
Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants,'' of 10 CFR. As
discussed in the ``Backfitting Discussion'' section of final LR-ISG-
2011-05, the LR-ISG is directed to holders of operating licenses or
combined licenses who are currently in the license renewal process. The
LR-ISG is not directed to holders of operating licenses or combined
licenses until they apply for license renewal. The LR-ISG is also not
directed to licensees who already hold renewed operating or combined
licenses.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of March 2012.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Melanie A. Galloway,
Acting Director, Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2012-6409 Filed 3-15-12; 8:45 am]
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