[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2906-2907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00732]
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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; Liquid Radwaste Consistency Changes
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Exemption and combined license amendment; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting an
exemption to allow a departure from the certification information of
Tier 1 of the generic design control document (DCD) and is issuing
License Amendment No. 16 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 the VEGP Tier 1 (COL Appendix C) Figure 2.3.10-1, Liquid
Radwaste System (WLS), and Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR)
Tier 2 tables, text and figures to align VEGP Tier 1 with Tier 2
information provided in the UFSAR and to achieve consistency within
VEGP Tier 1 material by (1) changing the safety classification of the
Passive Core Cooling System (PXS) and Chemical and Volume Control
System (CVS) compartment drain hubs, (2) changing the connection type
from the PXS Compartments drains A and B to a header to match the
design description, (3) changing the valve types for three valves in
the Tier 1 figure to conform to the design description and (4) changing
depiction of Tier 1 WLS components to conform to Tier 1 Figure
Conventions.
The granting of the exemption allows the changes to Tier 1
information asked for in the license amendment request. 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 publicly-available information related to this document
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: 301-287-
3422; 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 August 6, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13219A074). The
licensee supplemented this request on September 16, 2013 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13260A085) and September 27, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML13270A423).
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: David H. Jaffe, Office of New
Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-415-1439; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is granting 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 issuing License Amendment No. 16 to COLs, NPF-91 and NPF-
92, 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.
With the requested amendment, the licensee sought changes to the VEGP
Tier 1 (COL Appendix C) Figure 2.3.10-1, Liquid Radwaste System (WLS),
and UFSAR Tier 2 tables, text and figures to align VEGP Tier 1 with
Tier 2 information provided in the UFSAR and to achieve consistency
within VEGP Tier 1 material by (1) changing the safety classification
of the PXS and CVS compartment drain hubs, (2) changing the connection
type from the PXS Compartments drains A and B to a header to match the
design description, (3) changing the valve types for three valves in
the Tier 1 figure to conform to the design description and (4) changing
depiction of Tier 1 WLS components to conform to Tier 1 Figure
Conventions.
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, 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. ML13308A013.
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
[[Page 2907]]
Accession Nos. ML13308A005 and ML13308A006, respectively. The exemption
is reproduced (with the exception of 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.
ML13305B071 and ML13305B075; respectively. 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 Units 3
and 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 August 6, 2013, and as supplemented by the
letters dated September 16, 2013, and September 27, 2013, Southern
Nuclear Operating Company (licensee) requested from the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (Commission) an exemption from the provisions of
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulation (10 CFR) Part 52, Appendix
D, Section III.B, ``Design Certification Rule for the AP1000 Design,
Scope, and Contents,'' and Tier 1 Figure 2.3.10-1 of the AP1000 Design
Control Document (DCD) as part of license amendment request (LAR) 13-
015, ``Liquid Radwaste System Consistency Changes.''
For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1 of the NRC staff Safety
Evaluation which can be found at ADAMS Accession No. ML13308A013, 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 certified DCD Tier 1, Figure 2.3.10-1 as part of
license amendment request (LAR) 13-015, ``Liquid Radwaste System
Consistency Changes.''
3. As explained in Section 5.0 of the NRC staff Safety Evaluation
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13308A013), 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 the date of its issuance.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated August 6, 2013, the licensee requested that the NRC
amend the COLs for VEGP, Units 3 and 4, and COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92. The
licensee supplemented this application on September 16, 2013, and
September 27, 2013. The proposed amendment changes the VEGP Tier 1 (COL
Appendix C) Figure 2.3.10-1, WLS, and UFSAR Tier 2 tables, text and
figures to align VEGP Tier 1 with Tier 2 information provided in the
UFSAR and to achieve consistency within VEGP Tier 1 material by (1)
changing the safety classification of the PXS and CVS compartment drain
hubs, (2) changing the connection type from the PXS Compartments drains
A and B to a header to match the design description, (3) changing the
valve types for three valves in the Tier 1 figure to conform to the
design description and (4) changing depiction of Tier 1 WLS components
to conform to Tier 1 Figure Conventions.
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 September 3, 2013 (78 FR 54288). The September 16, 2013,
and September 27, 2013, 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(c)(9). 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 August 6, 2013, and supplemented by letters dated
September 16 and September 27, 2013. The exemptions and amendments were
issued to the licensee on December 5, 2013 as part of a combined
package (ADAMS Accession No. ML13305B061). In the course of the
issuance of Amendment 16 and the associated exemptions, an error was
made in the date of the initial application; the date which appeared as
``August 16, 2013'' should have been ``August 6, 2013.'' The NRC
corrected Amendment No. 16 and the associated exemptions for VEGP Units
3 and 4 in a letter dated December 24, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML13354B940). The ADAMS Accession numbers for the corrected exemptions
and amendments are unchanged.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of January 2014.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence J. Burkhart,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, Office of
New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2014-00732 Filed 1-15-14; 8:45 am]
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