[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 103 (Wednesday, May 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32278-32279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12699]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 52-025 and 52-026; NRC-2008-0252]
Vogtle Electric Generating Station, Units 3 and 4; Southern
Nuclear Operating Company; Change to Information in Tier 1, Table 3.3-1
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Exemption and Combined License Amendment: Issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an
exemption to allow a departure from the certification information of
Tier 1 of the generic design control document (DCD) and License
Amendment No. 6 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 and NPF-92. The COLs
were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., and Georgia
Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Municipal Electric
Authority of Georgia, and the City of Dalton, Georgia (the licensee);
for construction and operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
(VEGP), Units 3 and 4, located in Burke County, Georgia. The amendment
changes requested improve the clarity and accuracy of the Tier 1
information located in Table 3.3-1, ``Definition of Wall Thicknesses
for Nuclear Island Buildings, Turbine Buildings, and Annex Building,''
which describes wall and floor thicknesses in the plant. The granting
of the exemption allows the changes asked for in the amendment. Because
the acceptability of the exemption was determined in part by the
acceptability of the amendment, the exemption and amendment are being
issued concurrently.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2008-0252 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 any of the following
methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2008-0252. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-492-
3668; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
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 document (if that document is
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is
referenced. The request for the amendment and exemption were submitted
by letter dated September 21, 2012 (ADAMS Accession No. ML12269A433).
The licensee supplemented this request on October 29, 2012 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML12307A195), and January 25, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML13028A266).
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Minarik, Office of New
Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-415-6185; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is issuing an exemption from Paragraph B of Section III,
``Scope and Contents,'' of Appendix D, ``Design Certification Rule for
the AP1000,'' to Part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR) and License Amendment No. 6 to COLs, NPF-91 and NPF-92, issued
to the licensee. The exemption is required by Paragraph A.4 of Section
VIII, ``Processes for Changes and Departures,'' Appendix D to 10 CFR
part 52 to allow the licensee to depart from Tier 1 information. The
licensee sought to change the Tier 1 information located in Table 3.3-1
of its Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR). These changes
sought to improve the clarity and accuracy of the table so that it
could be more easily inspected during Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and
Acceptance Criteria (ITAAC) closure.
Part of the justification for granting the exemption was provided
by the review of the amendment. Because the exemption is necessary in
order to issue the requested license amendment, the NRC granted the
exemption and issued the amendment concurrently, rather than in
sequence. This included issuing a combined safety evaluation containing
the NRC staff's review of both the exemption request and the license
amendment. The exemption met all applicable regulatory criteria set
forth in 10 CFR 50.12, 10 CFR 52.7, and Section VIII.A.4. of Appendix D
to 10 CFR part 52. The license amendment was found to be acceptable as
well. The combined safety evaluation is available in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML13074A178.
Identical exemption documents (except for referenced unit numbers
and license numbers) were issued to the licensee for Vogtle Units 3 and
4 (COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92). These documents can be found in ADAMS under
Accession Nos. ML13112A231 and ML13112A242. The exemption is reproduced
(with the exception of
[[Page 32279]]
abbreviated titles and additional citations) in Section II of this
document. The amendment documents for COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92 are
available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML13074A151 and ML13074A160. A
summary of the amendment documents is provided in Section III of this
document.
II. Exemption
Reproduced below is the exemption document issued to Vogtle Unit 3
and Unit 4. It makes reference to the combined safety evaluation that
provides the reasoning for the findings made by the NRC (and listed
under Item 1) in order to grant the exemption:
1. In a letter dated September 21, 2012, and as supplemented by
letters dated October 29, 2012, and January 25, 2013, the licensee
requested from the Commission an exemption from the provisions of 10
CFR Part 52, Appendix D, Section III.B, as part of license amendment
request 12-008, ``Definition of Wall Thicknesses for Nuclear Island
Buildings, Turbine Buildings, and Annex Building'' (LAR 12-008).
For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1, ``Evaluation of
Exemption,'' of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation, which can be found
in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13074A178, the Commission finds that:
A. The exemption is authorized by law;
B. the exemption presents no undue risk to public health and
safety;
C. the exemption is consistent with the common defense and
security;
D. special circumstances are present in that the application of the
rule in this circumstance is not necessary to serve the underlying
purpose of the rule;
E. the special circumstances outweigh any decrease in safety that
may result from the reduction in standardization caused by the
exemption; and
F. the exemption will not result in a significant decrease in the
level of safety otherwise provided by the design.
2. Accordingly, the licensee is granted an exemption to the
provisions of 10 CFR Part 52, Appendix D, Section III.B, to allow
deviations from the Tier 1 certification information in Table 3.3-1 of
the certified Design Control Document, as described in the licensee's
request dated September 21, 2012, and as supplemented on October 29,
2012, and January 25, 2013. This exemption is related to, and necessary
for the granting of License Amendment No. 6, which is being issued
concurrently with this exemption.
3. As explained in Section 5.0, ``Environmental Consideration,'' of
the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation (ADAMS Accession No. ML13074A178),
this exemption meets the eligibility criteria for categorical exclusion
set forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(9). Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR
51.22(b), no environmental impact statement or environmental assessment
needs to be prepared in connection with the issuance of the exemption.
4. This exemption is effective as of May 8, 2013.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated September 21, 2012, the licensee requested that the
NRC amend the COLs for VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92. The
licensee supplemented this application on October 29, 2012, and January
25, 2013. The proposed amendment would depart from the UFSAR Tier 1
material, and would revise the associated material that has been
included in Appendix C of each of the VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs.
Specifically the requested amendment will revise the Tier 1 information
located in Table 3.3-1, to correctly translate information found in
Tier 1 and Tier 2 drawings. No physical changes or design changes were
requested as part of this amendment, only the presentation of design
information in Table 3.3-1 changed.
The Commission has determined for these amendments that the
application complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules
and regulations. The Commission has made appropriate findings as
required by the Act and the Commission's rules and regulations in 10
CFR Chapter I, which are set forth in the license amendment.
A notice of consideration of issuance of amendment to facility
operating license or combined license, as applicable, proposed no
significant hazards consideration determination, and opportunity for a
hearing in connection with these actions, was published in the Federal
Register on November 13, 2012 (77 FR 67685). The supplements had no
effect on the no significant hazards consideration determination and no
comments were received during the 60-day comment period.
The Commission has determined that these amendments satisfy the
criteria for categorical exclusion in accordance with 10 CFR 51.22.
Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental impact
statement or environmental assessment need be prepared for these
amendments.
IV. Conclusion
Using the reasons set forth in the combined safety evaluation, the
staff granted the exemption and issued the amendment that the licensee
requested on September 21, 2012, and supplemented by letters dated
October 29, 2012, and January 25, 2013. The exemption and amendment
were issued on May 8, 2013 as part of a combined package to the
licensee. (ADAMS Accession No. ML13074A139).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of May 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence Burkhart,
Acting Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing,
Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2013-12699 Filed 5-28-13; 8:45 am]
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