[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 167 (Friday, August 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52346-52348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21305]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2015-0202]
Protection Against Extreme Wind Events and Missiles for Nuclear
Power Plants
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for
public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1313, ``Protection
Against Extreme Wind Events And Missiles For Nuclear Power Plants.''
This proposed guide has been revised to incorporate additional
information identified since revision 1
[[Page 52347]]
of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.117 was issued. The proposed revision
describes an approach that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable
for identifying those structures, systems, and components (SSCs) of
light-water-cooled reactors that should be protected from the effects
of the worst case extreme winds and wind-generated missiles, and remain
functional.
DATES: Submit comments by October 27, 2015. Comments received after
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before
this date. Although a time limit is given, comments and suggestions in
connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed
or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting
comments on a specified subject):
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0202. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3436; 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 12H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
For additional direction on accessing information and submitting
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gordon Curran, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-1247, email:
[email protected] and Stephen Burton, Office of Nuclear Regulatory
Research, telephone: 301-415-7000 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-2015-0202 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may
obtain publically-available information related to this document, by
any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0202.
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 mentioned. The
DG is electronically available in ADAMS under Accession No.
ML14356A107.
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-2015-0202 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 posts all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enters 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 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 submissions into ADAMS.
II. Additional Information
The NRC is issuing for public comment a DG in the NRC's
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe and
make available to the public such information as methods that are
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the
NRC's regulations, techniques that the staff uses in evaluating
specific problems or postulated accidents, and data that the staff
needs in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
The draft regulatory guide, entitled, ``Protection Against Extreme
Wind Events and Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants,'' is temporarily
identified by its task number, DG-1313 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML14356A107). DG-1313 is proposed revision 2 of RG 1.117. The guide
describes an approach that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable
for identifying those SSCs of light-water-cooled reactors that should
be protected from the effects of the worst case extreme winds and wind-
generated missiles, and remain functional.
Nuclear power plants must be designed so that they remain in a safe
condition under extreme meteorological events, including those that
could result in the most extreme wind events (tornadoes and hurricanes)
that could reasonably be predicted to occur at the site. Tornado wind
speeds may not bound hurricane wind speeds for certain portions of the
Atlantic and gulf coasts at the wind speed frequencies of occurrence
considered in revision 1 of RG 1.76, ``Design-Basis Tornado and Tornado
Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants,'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML070360253).
The SSCs should be designed to withstand the effects of the design
basis hurricane and hurricane generated missiles so that they remain
functional. The NRC will also address these extreme conditions on a
case-by-case basis.
II. Backfitting and Issue Finality
This draft regulatory guide describes methods and procedures that
the staff considers acceptable for use in identifying those SSCs of
light-water-cooled reactors that should be protected from the effects
of the worst case extreme winds and wind-generated missiles, so that
they remain functional. Although not expressly stated in DG-1313, the
regulatory guidance in this regulatory guide is directed at applicants
for nuclear power reactor construction permits and operating licenses
under part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),
applicants for standard design certifications under subpart B of part
52, and combined licenses under subpart C of part 52.
This draft regulatory guide, if finalized, would not constitute
backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109 (the Backfit Rule) and is not
otherwise inconsistent with the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR
part 52, ``Licenses,
[[Page 52348]]
Certifications and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.'' Applicants and
potential applicants are not, with certain exceptions, protected by
either the Backfit Rule or any issue finality provisions under part 52.
Neither the Backfit Rule nor the issue finality provisions under part
52--with certain exclusions discussed below--were intended to every NRC
action which substantially changes the expectations of current and
future applicants. The exceptions to the general principle are
applicable whenever a combined license applicant references a part 52
license (i.e., an early site permit or a manufacturing license) and/or
part 52 regulatory approval (i.e., a design certification rule or
design approval. The staff does not, at this time, intend to impose the
positions represented in the draft regulatory guide (if finalized) in a
manner that is inconsistent with any issue finality provisions in these
part 52 licenses and regulatory approvals. If, in the future, the staff
seeks to impose a position in this regulatory guide (if finalized) in a
manner which does not provide issue finality as described in the
applicable issue finality provision, then the staff must address the
issue finality criteria in the applicable issue finality provision (10
CFR 52.63 for standard design certification rules, and 10 CFR 52.98 for
combined licenses).
Existing licensees and applicants of final design certification
rules will not be required to follow the positions in DG-1313, if
finalized, unless the licensee or design certification rule applicant
seeks a voluntary change to its licensing basis with respect to the
inclusion or exclusion of SSCs which must be protected against extreme
winds and extreme wind effects. In such cases, backfitting and issue
finality will not apply if the NRC determines that the safety review of
the licensee or applicant-initiated change must include reconsideration
of the methods and procedures used in identifying those SSCs. Further
information on the staff's use of the draft regulatory guide, if
finalized, is contained in the draft regulatory guide under Section D.
Implementation.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of August, 2015.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Generic Issues Branch, Division of
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2015-21305 Filed 8-27-15; 8:45 am]
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