[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 165 (Monday, August 26, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52804-52806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-20708]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2013-0089]


mPower\TM\ Design-Specific Review Standard

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Design-Specific Review Standard (DSRS) for the mPower\TM\ 
Design; re-opening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On May 14, 2013, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
published a request for public comment on the DSRS for the mPower\TM\ 
design (mPower\TM\ DSRS). The purpose of the mPower\TM\ DSRS is to more 
fully integrate the use of risk insights into the review of a design 
certification (DC), an early site permit (ESP) or a combined license 
(COL) that incorporates the mPower\TM\ design. The public comment 
period was originally scheduled to close on August 16, 2013. Generation 
mPower submitted a letter on August 8, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML13224A163), requesting an extension of the public comment period 
until September 16, 2012, on specific sections of the mPower\TM\ DSRS. 
The NRC has decided to re-open the public comment period on those 
specific sections of the mPower\TM\ DSRS to allow more time for members 
of the public to assemble their comments on those sections.

DATES: The comment period has been re-opened and now closes on 
September 16, 2013. Comments received after this date will be 
considered, if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able to 
ensure consideration only for comments received on or before this date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods 
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting 
comments on a specific subject):
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0089. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3244; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the

[[Page 52805]]

individual(s) listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, 
Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB), Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop: 3WFN 06-44M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-0001.
    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: Yanely Malave, Office of New Reactors, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; 
telephone: 301-415-1519 or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Accessing Information and Submitting Comments

A. Accessing Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0089 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may 
access publicly-available information related to this action by the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0089.
     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 and also in the table included in this notice. The DSRS 
sections are available in ADAMS under the corresponding accession 
number as describe in Section II, ``Further Information,'' of this 
notice.
     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-2013-0089 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 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 entering 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. Further Information

A. Background

    In 2010, the Commission provided direction to the staff on the 
preparation for, and review of, small modular reactor (SMR) 
applications, with a near-term focus on integral pressurized water 
reactor (iPWR) designs. The Commission directed the staff to more fully 
integrate the use of risk insights into pre-application activities and 
the review of applications and, consistent with regulatory requirements 
and Commission policy statements, to align the review focus and 
resources to risk-significant structures, systems, and components and 
other aspects of the design that contribute most to safety in order to 
enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the review process. The 
Commission directed the staff to develop a design-specific, risk-
informed review plan for each SMR design to address pre-application and 
application review activities. An important part of this review plan is 
the DSRS. This DSRS for the mPower\TM\ design is the result of the 
implementation of the Commission's direction.

B. DSRS for the mPower\TM\ Design

    As part of the mPower\TM\ DSRS, the NRC's Office of New Reactors 
has issued the mPower\TM\ Design-Specific Review Standard Scope and 
Safety Review Matrix (ADAMS Accession No. ML13088A252) to reflect the 
integration of risk insights into the review of applications submitted 
for the mPower\TM\ DC and ESPs or COLs that incorporate the mPower\TM\ 
design under part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 
The mPower\TM\ DSRS reflects current staff review methods and practices 
based on the integration of risk insights and, where appropriate, 
lessons learned from NRC reviews of DC and COL applications completed 
since the last revision of the Standard Review Plan.

C. Re-Opening of Comment Period

    On May 14, 2013 (78 FR 28258), the NRC published a request for 
public comment on the mPower\TM\ DSRS. The public comment period was 
originally scheduled to close on August 16, 2013. Generation mPower 
submitted a letter on August 8, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13224A163), 
requesting an extension of the public comment period until September 
16, 2013, on specific sections of the mPower\TM\ DSRS. The NRC has 
decided to re-open the public comment period on those specific sections 
of the mPower\TM\ DSRS to allow more time for members of the public to 
assemble their comments on those sections. The NRC did not receive a 
request to extend the comment period on the additional sections in the 
May 14, 2013, request for public comment; and believes the original 90-
day public comment period afforded for those sections is sufficient.
    Specifically, we request comment on the sufficiency of the proposed 
technical content of the individual mPower\TM\ DSRS sections, 
identified in the following table, that were revised or developed to 
incorporate design-specific review guidance based on features of the 
mPower\TM\ reactor design.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Design-specific review
            Section                 standard title          ADAMS No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.7.1.........................  Seismic Design               ML13099A204
                                 Parameters.
3.7.2.........................  Seismic System               ML13099A205
                                 Analysis.
3.7.3.........................  Seismic Subsystem            ML13099A209
                                 Analysis.
3.8.2.........................  Steel Containment.....       ML13099A298
3.8.3.........................  Concrete and Steel           ML13099A312
                                 Internal Structures
                                 of Steel Containments.

[[Page 52806]]

 
3.8.4.........................  Other Seismic Category       ML13099A316
                                 I Structures.
3.8.5.........................  Foundations...........       ML13099A319
15.0..........................  Introduction--Transien       ML12275A026
                                 t and Accident
                                 Analyses.
15.0.2........................  Review of Transient          ML12207A098
                                 and Accident Analysis
                                 Methods.
15.0.3........................  Design Basis Accident        ML12257A226
                                 Radiological
                                 Consequence Analyses
                                 for Advanced Light
                                 Water Reactors.
15.1.5........................  Steam System Piping          ML12207A108
                                 Failures Inside and
                                 Outside of
                                 Containment.
15.2.1-15.2.5.................  Loss of External Load;       ML12319A584
                                 Turbine Trip; Loss of
                                 Condenser Vacuum;
                                 Closure of Main Steam
                                 Isolation Valve
                                 (BWR); and Steam
                                 Pressure Regulator
                                 Failure (Closed).
15.2.6........................  Loss of Nonemergency         ML12319A587
                                 AC Power to the
                                 Station Auxiliaries.
15.2.7........................  Loss of Normal               ML12250A248
                                 Feedwater Flow.
15.2.8........................  Feedwater System Pipe        ML12319A668
                                 Breaks Inside and
                                 Outside Containment
                                 (PWR).
15.3.1-15.3.2.................  Loss of Forced Reactor       ML12319A585
                                 Coolant Flow
                                 Including Trip of
                                 Pump Motor and Flow
                                 Controller
                                 Malfunctions.
15.3.3-15.3.4.................  Reactor Coolant Pump         ML12319A586
                                 Rotor Seizure and
                                 Reactor Coolant Pump
                                 Shaft Break.
15.4.1........................  Uncontrolled Control         ML12240A005
                                 Rod Assembly
                                 Withdrawal from a
                                 Subcritical or Low
                                 Power Startup
                                 Condition.
15.4.2........................  Uncontrolled Control         ML12242A102
                                 Rod Assembly
                                 Withdrawal at Power.
15.4.10.......................  Startup of an Inactive       ML12261A399
                                 Pump or Pumps at an
                                 Incorrect
                                 Temperature, and Flow
                                 Controller
                                 Malfunction causing
                                 an Increase in Core
                                 Flow Rate.
15.5.1-15.5.2.................  Inadvertent Operation        ML12319A575
                                 of ECCS and Reactor
                                 Coolant Inventory and
                                 Purification System
                                 (RCI) Malfunction
                                 that Increases
                                 Reactor Coolant
                                 Inventory.
15.6.1........................  Inadvertent Opening of       ML12250A318
                                 a Pressurizer Safety
                                 Valve, or an
                                 Automatic
                                 Depressurization
                                 Valve.
15.6.5........................  Loss of Coolant              ML12319A576
                                 Accidents Resulting
                                 From Spectrum of
                                 Postulated Piping
                                 Breaks Within the
                                 Reactor Coolant
                                 Pressure Boundary.
15.8..........................  Anticipated Transients       ML12319A577
                                 Without Scram.
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    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of August, 2013.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Yanely Malave,
Project Manager, Small Modular Reactor Licensing Branch 1, Division of 
Advanced Reactors and Rulemaking, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2013-20708 Filed 8-23-13; 8:45 am]
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