[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 154 (Monday, August 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46877-46878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-18970]
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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 the Structures and Layout of the Turbine
Building
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. 12 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 consists of changes to the updated final safety analysis
report (UFSAR) for VCSNS Units 2 and 3 (including the plant-specific
Tier 1 Table 3.3-1 and Figure 3.3-11B) and the corresponding Table 3.3-
1 and Figure 3.3-11B of Appendix C to the Facility COLs. 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 obtain 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 obtain 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:
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. 12 to COLs, NPF-
93 and NPF-94, to the licensee. The request for the amendment and
exemption were submitted by letter dated July 30, 2013 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML13213A040). The licensee revised this request on August 7, 2013
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13225A445), and September 5, 2013 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13252A186). 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
changing the Turbine Building structures and layout by: (1) Changing
the door location on the motor-driven fire pump room in the Turbine
Building, (2) clarifying the column line designations for the southwest
and southeast walls of the Turbine Building first bay, (3) changing the
floor to ceiling heights at three different elevations in the Turbine
Building main area, and (4) increasing elevations and wall thickness in
certain walls of the Turbine Building first Bay.
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
[[Page 46878]]
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. ML14120A445.
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. ML14120A422 and ML14120A426. 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. ML14120A411 and
ML14120A416. 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 July 30, 2013 and as revised by the letters
dated August 7 and September 5, 2013, South Carolina Electric & Gas
Company (licensee) requested from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(Commission) an exemption from the provisions of Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52, Appendix D, Section III.B,
``Design Certification Rule for the AP1000 Design, Scope, and
Contents,'' as part of license amendment request (LAR 13-13), ``Changes
to the Structures and Layout of the Turbine Building.''
For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1 of the NRC staff's Safety
Evaluation, which can be found at ADAMS Accession No. ML14120A445, 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 Table 3.3-1 and Figure 3.3-
11B, as described in the licensee's request dated July 30, 2013 and
revised on August 7 and September 5, 2013. This exemption is related
to, and necessary for the granting of License Amendment No. 12, which
is being issued concurrently with this exemption.
3. As explained in Section 5.0 of the NRC staff Safety Evaluation
(ADAMS Accession No. ML14120A445), 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 May 12, 2014.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated July 30, 2013, the licensee requested that the NRC
amend the COLs for VCSNS Units 2 and 3, COLs NPF-93 and NPF-94. The
licensee revised this application on August 7, and September 5, 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
structures and layout of the turbine building, found throughout the
UFSAR. These Tier 2 changes require modifications to particular
information located in Tier 1 Table 3.3-1 and Figure 3.3-11B.
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 October 1, 2013 (78 FR 60321). 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 July 30, 2013 and revised by letter dated, August 7, and
September 5, 2013. The exemption and amendment were issued on May 12,
2014 as part of a combined package to the licensee (ADAMS Accession No.
ML14120A364).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day of August 2014.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Denise L. McGovern,
Senior Project Manager, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor
Licensing, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2014-18970 Filed 8-8-14; 8:45 am]
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