[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 113 (Wednesday, June 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 35330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13951]
[[Page 35330]]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2012-0293]
Initial Test Programs for Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Plants
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a
revision to Regulatory Guide (RG), 1.68, ``Initial Test Programs for
Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Plants.'' This guide describes the general
scope and depth that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable for
Initial Test Programs (ITPs) for light water cooled nuclear power
plants.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2012-0293 about the
availability of information regarding this document. You may access
information related to this document, which the NRC possesses and are
publically available, by using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0293. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-492-
3668; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual(s) 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 notice is provided the first time
that a document is referenced. Revision 4 of Regulatory Guide 1.68, is
available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13051A027. The regulatory
analysis may be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13051A035.
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: Mark Orr, Office of Nuclear Regulatory
Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-251-7495 or 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
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. This
regulatory guide is a rule as designated in the Congressional Review
Act (5 U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) has not found it to be a major rule as designated in the
Congressional Review Act.
II. Further Information
This guide describes the general scope and depth that the NRC staff
considers acceptable for ITPs for light water cooled nuclear power
plants. This RG is being revised to address design qualification tests
for new design certifications (DCs) and combined licenses (COLs) using
the requirements in part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for
Nuclear Power Plants.'' This RG is also being revised to add some
preoperational, low-power and power ascension tests for new light water
reactors (LWRs) licensed under 10 CFR Part 52. In addition, this RG is
being revised to add new and updated references.
The RG has 3 appendices. Appendix A addresses the specific tests
recommended or required for the ITPs. Appendix B provides information
about ITP-related inspections that the NRC staff will perform,
including the appropriate regional office staff. Finally, Appendix C
contains guidance on the preparation and content of procedures for
preoperational, fuel loading, initial criticality, low power, and power
ascension tests.
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 31st day of May, 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering,
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2013-13951 Filed 6-11-13; 8:45 am]
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