[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55877-55878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22310]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2012-0064]


Initial Test Program of Condensate and Feedwater Systems for 
Light-Water Reactors

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) 
is issuing Revision 2 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.68.1, ``Preoperational 
and Initial Startup Testing of Feedwater and Condensate Systems for 
Boiling Water Reactor Power Plants.'' This regulatory guide is being 
revised to: (1) Expand the scope of the guide to encompass 
preoperational, initial plant startup, and power ascension tests for 
the condensate and feedwater systems in all types of light water 
reactor facilities; and (2) to incorporate lessons learned by the NRC 
staff since the last revision.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2012-0064 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 are publicly available, using any of the following 
methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web Site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-064. 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 Documents'' 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 ADAMS accession number 
for each document referenced in this notice (if that document is 
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is 
referenced. Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide 1.68.1 is available under 
ADAMS Accession No. ML12160A169. The regulatory analysis may be found 
under ADAMS Accession No. ML12160A170.
     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.
    Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not 
required to reproduce them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Cozens, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001, telephone: 301-251-7448; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is issuing a revision to an existing guide in the NRC's 
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe and 
make available to the public information such as methods that are 
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the 
agency's regulations, techniques that the staff uses in evaluating 
specific problems or

[[Page 55878]]

postulated accidents, and data that the staff needs in its review of 
applications for permits and licenses.
    Revision 2 of RG1.68.1 was issued with a temporary identification 
as Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1265. This guide describes the methods 
that the NRC staff considers acceptable to implement multiple criteria 
in Appendix A, ``General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants,'' to 
Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), 
``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, of 10 
CFR Part 50,'' regarding the initial test program (ITP) for condensate 
and feedwater (FW) systems, including condensate storage and supply, 
for light-water reactors (LWRs) and for startup feedwater (SFW), 
auxiliary feedwater (AFW) or emergency feedwater (EFW) systems for 
pressurized-water reactors (PWRs). This guide also describes methods 
that the NRC staff finds acceptable for testing condensate, FW, SFW/
AFW/EFW (PWR only) structures, systems, and components (SSCs) in 
accordance with Subpart B, ``Standard Design Certifications,'' and 
Subpart C, ``Combined Licenses,'' of 10 CFR Part 52, ``Licenses, 
Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.''

II. Further Information

    DG-1265, was published in the Federal Register on March 16, 2012 
(77 FR 15812), for a 60-day public comment period. The public comment 
period closed on May 18, 2012. No public comments on DG-1265 were 
received; therefore no content changes were made during its conversion 
to a regulatory guide.

III. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    Issuance of this final regulatory guide 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 10 CFR 
Part 52. As discussed in the ``Implementation'' section of this 
regulatory guide, the NRC has no current intention to impose this 
regulatory guide on holders of current operating licenses or combined 
licenses.
    This regulatory guide may be applied to applications for operating 
licenses and combined licenses docketed by the NRC as of the date of 
issuance of the final regulatory guide, as well as future applications 
for operating licenses and combined licenses submitted after the 
issuance of the regulatory guide. Such action does not constitute 
backfitting as defined in 10 CRF 50.109(a)(1) or is otherwise 
inconsistent with the applicable issue finality provision in 10 CFR 
Part 52, inasmuch as such applicants or potential applicants are not 
within the scope of entities protected by the Backfit Rule or the 
relevant issue finality provisions in Part 52.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of August, 2012.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
 Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering, 
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2012-22310 Filed 9-10-12; 8:45 am]
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