[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 137 (Friday, July 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42554-42558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17645]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-390; NRC-2015-0170]
Tennessee Valley Authority, Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: License amendment application; opportunity to comment, request
a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-90,
issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority, for operation of the Watts
Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN), Unit 1. The proposed amendment modifies the
technical specifications to define support systems needed in the first
48 hours after a unit shutdown when steam generators are not available
for heat removal. The proposed change is required to support dual unit
operation of WBN (a licensing decision for WBN, Unit 2 is currently
expected to be made in the fall of 2015).
[[Page 42555]]
The proposed amendment also requests changes consistent with Technical
Specification Task Force (TSTF) Traveler TSTF-273-A, Revision 2, to
provide clarifications related to the requirements of the Safety
Function Determination Program (SFDP).
DATES: Submit comments by August 17, 2015. Requests for a hearing or
petition for leave to intervene must be filed by September 15, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting
comments on a specific subject):
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0170. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section
of this document.
Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration,
Mail Stop: OWFN-12-H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeanne Dion, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-1349, email: [email protected], and
Robert Schaaf, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-
415-6020, email: [email protected]. Both are staff of the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0170 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain
publicly-available information related to this action by any of the
following methods:
Federal rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0170.
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
Application to Revise the Technical Specifications for Component
Cooling Water and Essential Raw Cooling Water to Support Dual Unit
Operations is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML15170A474.
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.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC-2015-0170 in your comment submission.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions into
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove
identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.
II. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility
Operating License No. NPF-90, issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority,
for operation of WBN, Unit 1, located in Rhea County, Tennessee.
The proposed amendment modifies the technical specifications to
define support systems needed in the first 48 hours after a unit
shutdown when steam generators are not available for heat removal. The
proposed change is required to support dual unit operation of WBN (a
licensing decision for WBN Unit 2 is currently expected to be made in
the fall of 2015). The proposed amendment also requests changes
consistent with TSTF-273-A, Revision 2, to provide clarifications
related to the requirements of the SFDP.
Before any issuance of the proposed license amendment, the NRC will
need to make the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (the Act), and NRC's regulations.
The NRC has made a proposed determination that the license
amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration. Under
the NRC's regulations in Sec. 50.92 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), this means that operation of the facility in
accordance with the proposed amendment would not (1) involve a
significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident
previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or
(3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety. As required
by 10 CFR 50.91(a), the licensee has provided its analysis of the issue
of no significant hazards consideration, which is presented below:
1. Does the proposed change involve a significant increase in
the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The likelihood of a malfunction of any systems, structures or
components (SSCs) supported by containment cooling system (CCS) and
essential raw cooling water (ERCW) is not significantly increased by
adding new technical specification (TS) for ERCW and CCS that
require alternate CCS and ERCW system alignments during the first 48
hours after shut down of a unit when the steam generators are not
available for heat removal. CCS and ERCW provide the means for
transferring residual and decay heat to the Residual Heat Removal
(RHR) System for process and operating heat from safety related
components during a transient or accident, as well as during normal
operation. Although the proposed change includes a design change to
allow two ERCW pumps to be powered from one diesel generator (DG),
the additional ERCW pump is only aligned to the DG on a non-accident
unit during a design basis event on the other unit, and does not
result in overloading the DG due to the reduced loading on the non-
accident DG. The CCS and ERCW are not initiators of any analyzed
accident. All equipment supported by CCS and ERCW has been evaluated
to demonstrate that their performance and operation remains as
described in the FSAR with no increase in probability of failure or
malfunction.
The SSCs credited to mitigate the consequences of postulated
design basis accidents remain capable of performing their design
basis function. The change in CCS and ERCW system alignments has
been evaluated to ensure the RHR System remains capable of removing
normal operating and post-accident heat. Additionally, all the CCS
and ERCW supported equipment, credited in the accident analysis to
mitigate an accident, has
[[Page 42556]]
been shown to continue to perform their design function as described
in the FSAR.
Therefore, the proposed change does not involve a significant
increase in the probability or consequences of an accident
previously evaluated.
The proposed TS changes add explanatory text to the programmatic
description of the Safety Function Determination Program (SFDP) in
TS 5.7.2.18 to clarify the requirements that consideration does not
have to be made for a loss of power in determining loss of function.
The Bases for LCO 3.0.6 is revised to provide clarification of the
``appropriate LCO for loss of function,'' and that consideration
does not have to be made for a loss of power in determining loss of
function. The changes are editorial and administrative in nature,
and therefore do not increase the probability of any accident
previously evaluated. No physical or operational changes are made to
the plant. The proposed changes do not change how the plant would
mitigate an accident previously evaluated.
Therefore, the proposed change does not involve a significant
increase in the probability or consequences of an accident
previously evaluated.
2. Does the proposed change create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed change does not create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated.
The proposed change does not introduce any new modes of plant
operation, change the design function of any SSC, or change the mode
of operation of any SSC. There are no new equipment failure modes or
malfunctions created as the affected SSCs continue to operate in the
same manner as previously evaluated and have been evaluated to
perform their safety functions when in the alternate alignments as
assumed in the accident analysis. Additionally, accident initiators
remain as described in the FSAR and no new accident initiators are
postulated as a result of the alternate CCS and ERCW alignments.
Therefore, the proposed change does not create the possibility
of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously
evaluated.
The proposed changes [to TS 5.7.2.18] are editorial and
administrative in nature and do not result in a change in the manner
in which the plant operates. The loss of function of any specific
component will continue to be addressed in its specific TS LCO, and
plant configuration will be governed by the required actions of
those LCOs. The proposed changes are clarifications that do not
degrade the availability or capability of safety related equipment,
and therefore do not create the possibility of a new or different
kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated. There are
no design changes associated with the proposed changes, and the
changes do not involve a physical alteration of the plant (i.e., no
new or different type of equipment will be installed). The changes
do not alter assumptions made in the safety analysis, and are
consistent with the safety analysis assumptions and current plant
operating practice. Due to the administrative nature of the changes,
they cannot be an accident initiator.
Therefore, the proposed changes do not create the possibility of
a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously
evaluated.
3. Does the proposed change involve a significant reduction in a
margin of safety?
Response: No.
The proposed change continues to ensure that the cooling
capability of RHR during normal operation and during the mitigation
of a design basis event remains within the evaluated equipment
limits and capabilities assumed in the accident analysis. The
proposed change does not result in any changes to plant equipment
functions, including setpoints and actuations. The proposed change
does not alter existing limiting conditions for operation, limiting
safety system settings, or safety limits specified in the Technical
Specifications. The proposed change to add a new TS for ERCW and CCS
assures the ability of these systems to support post-accident
residual heat removal.
Therefore, since there is no adverse impact of this change on
the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant safety analysis, there is no significant
reduction in the margin of safety of the plant.
The proposed changes to TS 5.7.2.18 are clarifications and are
editorial and administrative in nature. No changes are made to the
LCOs for plant equipment, the time required for the TS Required
Actions to be completed, or the out of service time for the
components involved. The proposed changes do not affect the safety
analysis acceptance criteria for any analyzed event, nor is there a
change to any safety analysis limit. The proposed changes do not
alter the manner in which safety limits, limiting safety system
settings or limiting conditions for operation are determined, nor is
there any adverse effect on those plant systems necessary to assure
the accomplishment of protection functions. The proposed changes
will not result in plant operation in a configuration outside the
design basis.
Therefore, the proposed changes do not involve a significant
reduction in a margin of safety.
The NRC staff has reviewed the licensee's analysis and, based on
this review, it appears that the three standards of 10 CFR 50.92(c) are
satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff proposes to determine that the
license amendment request involves a No Significant Hazards
Consideration.
The NRC is seeking public comments on this proposed determination
that the license amendment request involves no significant hazards
consideration. Any comments received within 30 days after the date of
publication of this notice will be considered in making any final
determination.
Normally, the Commission will not issue the amendment until the
expiration of 60 days after the date of publication of this notice. The
Commission may issue the license amendment before expiration of the 60-
day notice period if the Commission concludes the amendment involves no
significant hazards consideration. In addition, the Commission may
issue the amendment prior to the expiration of the 30-day comment
period should circumstances change during the 30-day comment period
such that failure to act in a timely way would result, for example, in
derating or shutdown of the facility. Should the Commission take action
prior to the expiration of either the comment period or the notice
period, it will publish in the Federal Register a notice of issuance.
Should the Commission make a final No Significant Hazards Consideration
Determination, any hearing will take place after issuance. The
Commission expects that the need to take this action will occur very
infrequently.
III. Opportunity To Request a Hearing and Petition for Leave To
Intervene
Within 60 days after the date of publication of this Federal
Register notice, any person whose interest may be affected by this
proceeding and who desires to participate as a party in the proceeding
must file a written request for hearing or a petition for leave to
intervene specifying the contentions which the person seeks to have
litigated in the hearing with respect to the license amendment request.
Requests for hearing and petitions for leave to intervene shall be
filed in accordance with the NRC's ``Agency Rules of Practice and
Procedure'' in 10 CFR part 2. Interested person(s) should consult a
current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, which is available at the NRC's PDR. The
NRC's regulations are accessible electronically from the NRC Library on
the NRC's Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/.
As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a request for hearing or petition for
leave to intervene must set forth with particularity the interest of
the petitioner in the proceeding and how that interest may be affected
by the results of the proceeding. The hearing request or petition must
specifically explain the reasons why intervention should be permitted,
with particular reference to the following general requirements: (1)
The name, address, and telephone number of the requestor or petitioner;
(2) the nature of the requestor's/petitioner's right under the Act to
be made a party to the proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the
requestor's/petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the
proceeding; and (4) the possible effect of any decision or order which
may be
[[Page 42557]]
entered in the proceeding on the requestor's/petitioner's interest. The
hearing request or petition must also include the specific contentions
that the requestor/petitioner seeks to have litigated at the
proceeding.
For each contention, the requestor/petitioner must provide a
specific statement of the issue of law or fact to be raised or
controverted, as well as a brief explanation of the basis for the
contention. Additionally, the requestor/petitioner must demonstrate
that the issue raised by each contention is within the scope of the
proceeding and is material to the findings that the NRC must make to
support the granting of a license amendment in response to the
application. The hearing request or petition must also include a
concise statement of the alleged facts or expert opinion that support
the contention and on which the requestor/petitioner intends to rely at
the hearing, together with references to those specific sources and
documents. The hearing request or petition must provide sufficient
information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on
a material issue of law or fact, including references to specific
portions of the application for amendment that the petitioner disputes
and the supporting reasons for each dispute. If the requestor/
petitioner believes that the application for amendment fails to contain
information on a relevant matter as required by law, the requestor/
petitioner must identify each failure and the supporting reasons for
the requestor's/petitioner's belief. Each contention must be one which,
if proven, would entitle the requestor/petitioner to relief. A
requestor/petitioner who does not satisfy these requirements for at
least one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene,
and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the
hearing with respect to resolution of that person's admitted
contentions, including the opportunity to present evidence and to
submit a cross-examination plan for cross-examination of witnesses,
consistent with NRC regulations, policies, and procedures. The Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board will set the time and place for any
prehearing conferences and evidentiary hearings, and the appropriate
notices will be provided.
Hearing requests or petitions for leave to intervene must be filed
no later than 60 days from the date of publication of this notice.
Requests for hearing, petitions for leave to intervene, and motions for
leave to file new or amended contentions that are filed after the 60-
day deadline will not be entertained absent a determination by the
presiding officer that the filing demonstrates good cause by satisfying
the three factors in 10 CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i)-(iii).
If a hearing is requested, the Commission will make a final
determination on the issue of no significant hazards consideration. The
final determination will serve to decide when the hearing is held. If
the final determination is that the amendment request involves no
significant hazards consideration, the Commission may issue the
amendment and make it immediately effective, notwithstanding the
request for a hearing. Any hearing held would take place after issuance
of the amendment. If the final determination is that the amendment
request involves a significant hazards consideration, then any hearing
held would take place before the issuance of any amendment unless the
Commission finds an imminent danger to the health or safety of the
public, in which case it will issue an appropriate order or rule under
10 CFR part 2.
IV. Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including a
request for hearing, a petition for leave to intervene, any motion or
other document filed in the proceeding prior to the submission of a
request for hearing or petition to intervene, and documents filed by
interested governmental entities participating under 10 CFR 2.315(c),
must be filed in accordance with the NRC's E-Filing rule (72 FR 49139;
August 28, 2007). The E-Filing process requires participants to submit
and serve all adjudicatory documents over the internet, or in some
cases to mail copies on electronic storage media. Participants may not
submit paper copies of their filings unless they seek an exemption in
accordance with the procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least
ten 10 days prior to the filing deadline, the participant should
contact the Office of the Secretary by email at [email protected],
or by telephone at 301-415-1677, to request (1) a digital
identification (ID) certificate, which allows the participant (or its
counsel or representative) to digitally sign documents and access the
E-Submittal server for any proceeding in which it is participating; and
(2) advise the Secretary that the participant will be submitting a
request or petition for hearing (even in instances in which the
participant, or its counsel or representative, already holds an NRC-
issued digital ID certificate). Based upon this information, the
Secretary will establish an electronic docket for the hearing in this
proceeding if the Secretary has not already established an electronic
docket.
Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is
available on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/getting-started.html. System requirements for accessing
the E-Submittal server are detailed in the NRC's ``Guidance for
Electronic Submission,'' which is available on the agency's public Web
site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. Participants
may attempt to use other software not listed on the Web site, but
should note that the NRC's E-Filing system does not support unlisted
software, and the NRC Meta System Help Desk will not be able to offer
assistance in using unlisted software.
If a participant is electronically submitting a document to the NRC
in accordance with the E-Filing rule, the participant must file the
document using the NRC's online, Web-based submission form. In order to
serve documents through the Electronic Information Exchange System,
users will be required to install a Web browser plug-in from the NRC's
Web site. Further information on the Web-based submission form,
including the installation of the Web browser plug-in, is available on
the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html.
Once a participant has obtained a digital ID certificate and a
docket has been created, the participant can then submit a request for
hearing or petition for leave to intervene. Submissions should be in
Portable Document Format (PDF) in accordance with NRC guidance
available on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. A filing is considered complete at the time the
documents are submitted through the NRC's E-Filing system. To be
timely, an electronic filing must be submitted to the E-Filing system
no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. Upon receipt of
a transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends
the submitter an email notice confirming receipt of the document. The
E-Filing system also distributes an email notice that provides access
to the document to the NRC's Office of the General Counsel and any
others who
[[Page 42558]]
have advised the Office of the Secretary that they wish to participate
in the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the documents on
those participants separately. Therefore, applicants and other
participants (or their counsel or representative) must apply for and
receive a digital ID certificate before a hearing request/petition to
intervene is filed so that they can obtain access to the document via
the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically using the NRC's adjudicatory E-
Filing system may seek assistance by contacting the NRC Meta System
Help Desk through the ``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC's public
Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html, by email to
[email protected], or by a toll-free call at 1-866-672-7640. The
NRC Meta System Help Desk is available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.,
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding government holidays.
Participants who believe that they have a good cause for not
submitting documents electronically must file an exemption request, in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper
format. Such filings must be submitted by: (1) First class mail
addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or
expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth
Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland
20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. Participants
filing a document in this manner are responsible for serving the
document on all other participants. Filing is considered complete by
first-class mail as of the time of deposit in the mail, or by courier,
express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing the
document with the provider of the service. A presiding officer, having
granted an exemption request from using E-Filing, may require a
participant or party to use E-Filing if the presiding officer
subsequently determines that the reason for granting the exemption from
use of E-Filing no longer exists.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in the
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at
http://ehd1.nrc.gov/ehd/, unless excluded pursuant to an order of the
Commission, or the presiding officer. Participants are requested not to
include personal privacy information, such as social security numbers,
home addresses, or home phone numbers in their filings, unless an NRC
regulation or other law requires submission of such information.
However, in some instances, a request to intervene will require
including information on local residence in order to demonstrate a
proximity assertion of interest in the proceeding. With respect to
copyrighted works, except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose
of the adjudicatory filings and would constitute a Fair Use
application, participants are requested not to include copyrighted
materials in their submission.
For further details with respect to this action, see the
application for license amendment dated June 17, 2015.
Attorney for licensee: General Counsel, Tennessee Valley Authority,
400 West Summit Hill Drive, ET 11A, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902.
NRC Branch Chief: Jessie F. Quichocho.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day of July 2015.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jeanne Dion,
Project Manager, Watts Bar Special Projects Branch, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2015-17645 Filed 7-16-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P