[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 85 (Friday, May 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25159-25161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10113]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 52-027 and 52-028; NRC-2008-0441]


Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Units 2 and 3; South Carolina 
Electric and Gas; Changes to Chemical and Volume Control System

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 issuing License 
Amendment No. 11 to Combined Licenses (COL) NPF-93 and NPF-94. The COLs 
were issued to South Carolina Electric and Gas (SCE&G) and South 
Carolina Public Service Authority (Santee Cooper) (the licensee), for 
construction and operation of the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station 
(VCSNS), Units 2 and 3 located in Fairfield County, South Carolina. The 
amendment requests changes that modify the Chemical and Volume Control 
System (CVS), including changes to information located in Tier 1 Tables 
2.3.2-1 and 2.3.2-2, and Tier 1 Figures 2.2.1-1 and 2.3.2-1. The 
granting of the exemption allows the changes to Tier 1 information as 
specified in the license amendment request (LAR). 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-2008-0441 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-2008-0441. 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 
ADAMS Public Documents Collection 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.
     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: Denise McGovern, Office of New 
Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-415-0681; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 25160]]

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 Design,'' to Part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) and issuing License Amendment No. 11 to COLs, NPF-
93 and NPF-94, to the licensee. The request for the amendment and 
exemption were submitted by letter dated March 13, 2013 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML13074A698). The licensee supplemented this request on 
July 11, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13197A430) October 28, 2013 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML13305A224), and November 26, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML13338A272). 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 to modify the design of 
the CVS. As part of this request, the licensee needed to change 
information located in Tier 1 Tables 2.3.2-1 and 2.3.2-2, and Tier 1 
Figures 2.2.1-1 and 2.3.2-1. These changes were necessary as part of a 
design modification which provides a spring-assisted check valve to the 
Reactor Coolant System Purification Return Line in order to maintain 
overpressure protection, replaces an isolation check valve in the CVS 
with an air operated globe valve, and separates the zinc and hydrogen 
injection lines.
    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. ML13357A658.
    Identical exemption documents (except for referenced unit numbers 
and license numbers) were issued to the licensee for VCSNS Units 2 and 
3 (COLs NPF-93 and NPF-94). These documents can be found in ADAMS under 
Accession Nos. ML13357A569 and ML13357A598. 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-93 
and NPF-94 are available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML13357A498 and 
ML13357A539. A summary of the amendment documents is provided in 
Section III of this document.

II. Exemption

    Reproduced below is the exemption document issued to VCSNS Units 2 
and 3. 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 March 13, 2013, and as supplemented by the 
letters dated July 11, October 28, and November 26, 2013, South 
Carolina Electric & Gas Company (licensee) requested from the U. S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Commission) an exemption from the 
provisions of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 
52, Appendix D, ``Design Certification Rule for the AP1000 Design, 
Scope, and Contents,'' Section III.B, as part of license amendment 
request, (LAR 13-07) ``Changes to the Chemical and Volume Control 
System.''
    For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1 of the NRC staff's Safety 
Evaluation, which can be found in ADAMS under Accession No. 
ML13357A658, 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 Design Control Document (DCD) Tier 1 
Figures 2.2.1-1 and 2.3.2-1 and Tables 2.3.2-1 and 2.3.2-2, as 
described in the licensee's request dated March 13, 2013, and 
supplemented by the letters dated July 11, October 28, and November 26, 
2013. This exemption is related to, and necessary for the granting of 
License Amendment No. 11, which is being issued concurrently with this 
exemption.
    3. As explained in Section 5.0 of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13357A658), 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 February 24, 2013.

III. License Amendment Request

    By letter dated March 13, 2013, the licensee requested that the NRC 
amend the COLs for VCSNS Units 2 and 3, COLs NPF-93 and NPF-94. The 
licensee supplemented this application on July 11, October 28, and 
November 26, 2013. The proposed amendment would depart from Tier 2 
Material previously incorporated into the UFSAR. Additionally, these 
Tier 2 changes involve changes to Tier 1 Information in the UFSAR, and 
the proposed amendment would also revise the associated material that 
has been included in Appendix C of each of the VCSNS, Units 2 and 3 
COLs. The requested amendment will revise the Tier 2 UFSAR information 
pertaining to the CVS, found throughout the UFSAR. These Tier 2 changes 
require modifications to particular information located in Tier 1 
Tables 2.3.2-1 and 2.3.2-2, and Tier 1 Figures 2.2.1-1 and 2.3.2-1. 
These changes were necessary as part of a design modification which 
provides a spring-assisted check valve to the Reactor Coolant System 
Purification Return Line in order to maintain overpressure protection, 
replaces an isolation check valve in the CVS with an air operated globe 
valve, and separates the zinc and hydrogen injection lines.
    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

[[Page 25161]]

April 2, 2013 (78 FR 19746). 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 March 13, 2013 and revised by letter dated July 11, 
October 28, and November 26, 2013. The exemption and amendment were 
issued on February 24, 2014 as part of a combined package to the 
licensee (ADAMS Accession No. ML13357A436).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of April 2014.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence J. Burkhart,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, Office of 
New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2014-10113 Filed 5-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P