[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]
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