[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 227 (Monday, November 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70484-70486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28564]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2012-0282]
Preoperational Testing of Onsite Electric Power Systems To Verify
Proper Load Group Assignments, Electrical Separation, and Redundancy
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission)
is issuing for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1294,
``Preoperational Testing of On-Site Electric Power Systems to Verify
Proper Load Group Assignments, Electrical Separation, and Redundancy.''
DG-1294 is proposed Revision 1 of RG 1.41, dated March 1973. This
revision expands the scope of the guide to encompass preoperational
testing of electrical power systems used to meet current Station
Blackout regulations, time requirements for startup and alignment of
emergency power sources, and testing requirements for facilities
licensed under 10 CFR Part 52.
DATES: Submit comments by January 31, 2013. Comments received after
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before
this date. Although a time limit is given, comments and suggestions in
connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed
or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.
ADDRESSES: You may access information and comment submissions related
to this document, which the NRC possesses and is publicly available, by
searching on http://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2012-0282.
You may submit comments by the following methods:
[[Page 70485]]
Federal rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0282. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-492-
3668; email: [email protected].
Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules,
Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB), Office of Administration,
Mail Stop: TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
Fax comments to: RADB at 301-492-3446.
For additional direction on accessing information and submitting
comments, see ``Accessing Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Kendzia, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Office of New Reactors, Division of Construction
Inspection and Operational Programs, Washington, DC 20555-0001,
telephone: 301-415-8155 or email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Accessing Information and Submitting Comments
A. Accessing Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2012-0282 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, by any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web Site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0282.
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 draft regulatory guide
is available electronically under ADAMS Accession Number ML12228A589.
The regulatory analysis may be found in ADAMS under Accession No.
ML12228A591.
Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not
required to reproduce them.
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.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC-2012-0282 in the subject line of your
comment submission, in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make
your comment submission available to the public in this docket.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information in comment submissions that you do not want to be publicly
disclosed in your comment submission. The NRC posts all comment
submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment
submissions into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment
submissions to remove identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.
II. Additional Information
The NRC is issuing for public comment a draft guide in the NRC's
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was 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.
The draft regulatory guide entitled ``Preoperational Testing of On-
Site Electric Power Systems to Verify Proper Load Group Assignments,
Electrical Separation, and Redundancy'' is temporarily identified by
its task number, DG-1294. The DG-1294 is proposed Revision 1 of
Regulatory Guide 1.41, ``Preoperational Testing of On-Site Electric
Power Systems to Verify Proper Load Group Assignments, Electrical
Separation, and Redundancy'' dated March 1973.
Regulatory Guide 1.41 was developed to provide guidance on
preoperational testing of on-site electrical power systems important to
safety for load group assignments, electrical separation, and
redundancy. The guide was first issued in 1973 and has not been revised
despite multiple revisions to the underlying regulations. Since 1973
the Commission has amended its regulations for loss of all alternating
current power (Station Blackout) and loss of large areas of the plant
due to explosions or fire, and has established a new combined
(construction and operating) licensing process under 10 CFR part 52.
This regulatory guide is being revised for three reasons: (1) To
expand the scope of the guide to encompass preoperational tests for the
electrical power systems used to meet the regulatory requirements
addressing Station Blackout and loss of large areas of the plant due to
explosions or fire; (2) to expand the scope of the guide to encompass
testing the ability to meet time requirements for startup and alignment
for use of electric power sources used to meet the regulatory
requirements addressing Station Blackout and loss of large areas of the
plant due to explosions or fire and (3) to update the guide references
and address facilities licensed under 10 CFR part 52.
III. Backfitting and Issue Finality
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.
Accordingly, the issuance of this regulatory guide would not constitute
``backfitting'' as defined in 10 CFR 50.109(a)(1) of the Backfit Rule
or be otherwise inconsistent with the applicable issue finality
provisions in 10 CFR part 52.
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 would not constitute
backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109(a)(1) or be 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 15th day of November, 2012.
[[Page 70486]]
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering,
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2012-28564 Filed 11-23-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P