[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15753-15754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05612]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2013-0048]


Maintenance, Testing, and Replacement of Vented Lead-Acid Storage 
Batteries for Nuclear Power Plants

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1269 ``Maintenance, Testing, 
and Replacement of Vented Lead-Acid Storage Batteries for Nuclear Power 
Plants.'' The draft guide describes methods that the NRC staff consider 
acceptable for use in complying with the agency's regulations with 
regard to the maintenance, testing, and replacement of vented lead-acid 
storage batteries in nuclear power plants.

DATES: Submit comments by May 13, 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-2013-0048. 
You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0048. 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: Liliana Ramadan, telephone: 301-251-
7642, email: [email protected], or Edward O'Donnell, telephone: 
301-251-7455, or by email: [email protected]. Both of the Office 
of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Accessing Information and Submitting Comments

A. Accessing Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0048 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 the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0048.
     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 No. ML110870131. The 
regulatory analysis may be found in ADAMS under Accession No. 
ML110870160.
    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-2013-0048 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 that that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post 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

[[Page 15754]]

entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.

II. Further 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 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 (DG), entitled, ``Maintenance, Testing, 
and Replacement of Vented Lead-Acid Storage Batteries for Nuclear Power 
Plants'' is temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1269, which 
should be mentioned in all related correspondence. DG-1269 is proposed 
Revision 3 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.129, dated February 2007. The NRC 
developed this regulatory guide to describe a method that the NRC staff 
considers acceptable for use in complying with the agency's regulations 
with regard to the maintenance, testing, and replacement of vented 
lead-acid storage batteries in nuclear power plants. Specifically, the 
method described in this regulatory guide relates to General Design 
Criteria (GDC) 1, 17, and 18 as set forth 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.''
    DG-1269 endorses (with certain clarifying regulatory positions) the 
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE Std 450-2010, 
``IEEE Recommended Practice for Maintenance, Testing, and Replacement 
of Vented Lead-Acid Batteries for Stationary Applications.'' That 
standard is an update of IEEE Std 450-2002 upon which RG 1.129, Rev. 2 
is based. The revised IEEE Std 450-2010 refines the condition 
monitoring guidance and the use of rate-adjusted test methods for 
acceptance testing to ensure consistent performance of vented lead-acid 
batteries. The revised guidance addresses (1) Evaluating the adequacy 
of the modified performance tests for batteries, (2) the use of 
charging current to assess the fully-charged condition of batteries, 
(3) determining the point at which a battery can be returned to service 
and be able to meet its capacity and capability requirements, and (4) 
consistency with standard technical specifications regarding battery 
monitoring criteria. The revised guide would be useful in support of 
new reactor license applications, design certifications, and 
applications for license amendments.

III. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    This draft regulatory guide, if finalized, 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, ``Licenses, Certifications and Approvals for Nuclear Power 
Plants.'' This draft regulatory guide, if finalized, will provide 
guidance on one possible means for meeting NRC's regulatory 
requirements with regard to the maintenance, testing, and replacement 
of vented lead-acid storage batteries in nuclear power plants in GDCs 
1, 17 and 18, and the qualification testing requirements of Criterion 
III of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B. Existing licensees and applicants of 
final design certification rules will not be required to comply with 
the positions set forth in this draft regulatory guide, unless the 
licensee or design certification rule applicant seeks a voluntary 
change to its licensing basis with respect to maintenance, testing, or 
replacement of vented lead-acid storage batteries, and where the NRC 
determines that the safety review must include consideration of the 
maintenance, testing, or replacement of vented lead-acid storage 
batteries. Further information on the staff's use of the draft 
regulatory guide, if finalized, is contained in DG-1269 under section 
D. Implementation.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day of March 2013.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering, 
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2013-05612 Filed 3-11-13; 8:45 am]
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