[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 111 (Wednesday, June 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32981-32983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14206]


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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 & Gas Company

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. 24 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-93 and NPF-94. The 
COLs were issued to South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G), and 
South Carolina Public Service Authority (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 granting of the exemption allows the changes to Tier 1 
information requested in the amendment. 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: 301-415-
3463; 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 (if it is available 
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. The 
request for the amendment and exemption was submitted by the letter 
dated July 17, 2014 (ADAMS Accession No. ML14202A088). The licensee 
supplemented this request by letters dated September 25, 2014, and 
January 5, 2015 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML14268A554 and ML15006A290).
     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 32982]]

I. Introduction

    The NRC is granting an exemption from Tier 1 information in the 
certified Design Control Document (DCD) incorporated by reference in 
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) part 52, appendix 
D, ``Design Certification Rule for the AP1000 Design,'' and issuing 
License Amendment No. 24 to COLs, NPF-93 and NPF-94, 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 proposed changes related to the design 
details of the containment internal structural wall modules (CA01, 
CA02, and CA05). The proposed changes to Tier 2 information in the 
VCSNS Units 2 and 3 UFSAR, and the involved plant-specific Tier 1 and 
corresponding combined license Appendix C information would allow the 
use of thicker than normal faceplates to accommodate local demand or 
connection loads in certain areas without the use of overlay plates or 
additional backup structures. Additional proposed changes to Tier 2 
information and involved Tier 2* information would allow:
    (1) A means of connecting the structural wall modules to the base 
concrete through use of structural shapes, reinforcement bars, and 
shear studs extending horizontally from the structural module 
faceplates and embedded during concrete placement as an alternative to 
the use of embedment plates and vertically oriented reinforcement bars;
    (2) a variance in structural module wall thicknesses from the 
thicknesses identified in the VCSNS Units 2 and 3 UFSAR Figure 3.8.3-8, 
``Structural Modules--Typical Design Details,'' for some walls that 
separate equipment spaces from personnel access areas;
    (3) the use of steel plates, structural shapes, reinforcement bars, 
or tie bars between the module faceplates, as needed to support 
localized loads and ensure compliance with applicable codes;
    (4) revision to containment internal structure (CIS) evaluations, 
and
    (5) clarification to the definition of in-containment ``structural 
wall modules,'' clarifying that the west wall of the In-containment 
Refueling Water Storage Tank (IRWST) is not considered a ``structural 
wall module,'' that the CIS critical sections identified in VCSNS Units 
2 and 3 UFSAR Subsection 3.8.3.5.8.1 present design summaries for areas 
of ``large'' demand in lieu of areas of ``largest'' demand, and 
revising the VCSNS Units 2 and 3 UFSAR in several places to provide 
consistency in terminology used to identify the structural wall modules
    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 10 CFR 52.63(b)(1). The license 
amendment was found to be acceptable as well. The combined safety 
evaluation is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML15061A205.
    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. ML15061A179 and ML15061A186, 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-93 and NPF-94 are available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. 
ML15061A169 and ML15061A176, 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 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 17, 2014 and supplemented by the letters 
dated September 25, 2014, and January 5, 2015, South Carolina Electric 
& Gas Company (licensee) requested from the NRC an exemption to allow 
departures from Tier 1 information in the certified Design Control 
Document (DCD) incorporated by reference in Title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) part 52, appendix D, ``Design 
Certification Rule for the AP1000 Design,'' as part of license 
amendment request (LAR) 14-05, ``Containment Internal Structural Wall 
Module Design Details.''
    For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1 of the NRC staff's Safety 
Evaluation, which can be found at (ADAMS Accession Number ML15061A205), 
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 would not 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 from the 
certified DCD Tier 1 Tables: 3.3-1 and 3.3-7, as described in the 
licensee's request dated July 17, 2014, and supplemented by letters 
dated September 25, 2014, and January 5, 2015. This exemption is 
related to and necessary for the granting of License Amendment No. 24, 
which is being issued concurrently with this exemption.
    3. As explained in Section 5 of the NRC staff Safety Evaluation 
(ADAMS Accession Number ML15061A205), 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

    The request for the amendment and exemption was submitted by the 
letter dated July 17, 2014. The licensee supplemented this request by 
the letters dated September 25, 2014, and January 5, 2015. The proposed 
amendment is described in Section I, above.
    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

[[Page 32983]]

applicable, proposed no significant hazards consideration 
determination, and opportunity for a hearing in connection with these 
actions, was published in the Federal Register on February 3, 2015 (80 
FR 5798). No comments were received during the 30-day comment period.
    The NRC staff has found that the amendment involves no significant 
hazards consideration. 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 July 17, 2014, and supplemented by the letters dated 
September 25, 2014, and January 5, 2015. The exemption and amendment 
were issued on March 12, 2015, as part of a combined package to the 
licensee (ADAMS Accession No. ML15061A159).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of June 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Denise L. McGovern,
Acting Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, 
Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2015-14206 Filed 6-9-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P