[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 225 (Monday, November 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72996-72997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29691]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2013-0203]


Ultimate Heat Sink for Nuclear Power Plants

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory Guide Issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Revision 3 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.27, ``Ultimate Heat Sink for 
Nuclear Power Plants.'' This RG describes methods and procedures 
acceptable to the NRC staff that nuclear power plant facility licensees 
and applicants may use to implement general design criteria (GDC) that 
are applicable to the ultimate heat sink (UHS) features of plant 
systems.

DATES: Revision 3 to RG 1.27 is available on November 23, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0203 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain pubically-available information related to this document 
using the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0203. 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.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Document collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select

[[Page 72997]]

``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 notice (if that document is available in 
ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. 
Revision 3 to Regulatory Guide 1.27 and the regulatory analysis are 
available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML14107A411 and ML14107A409, 
respectively.
     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.
    Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not 
required to reproduce them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Lin, telephone: 301-415-2446, 
email: [email protected]; and Steve Burton, telephone: 301-415-7000, 
email: [email protected]. Both are staff of the Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is issuing a revision to an existing guide in the NRC's 
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe and 
make available to the public information regarding methods that are 
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the 
agency's regulations, techniques that the NRC staff uses in evaluating 
specific issues or postulated events, and data that the NRC staff needs 
in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
    Revision 3 to RG 1.27 was issued with a temporary identification of 
Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1275. Regulatory Guide 1.27 addresses 
revisions in regulations and lessons learned from operating experience 
since the guide was last revised in January 1976, including system 
design considerations, natural phenomena and site hazards design 
criteria, and periodic inspection and maintenance considerations. This 
revised guide contains information applicable to both current operating 
plants and new plants being licensed under both parts 50 and 52 of 
title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR).

II. Additional Information

    The DG-1275 was published in the Federal Register on September 9, 
2013 (78 FR 55117), for a 60-day public comment period. The public 
comment period closed on November 8, 2013. Public comments on DG-1275 
and the NRC staff responses to the public comments are available in 
ADAMS under Accession No. ML14107A410.

III. Congressional Review Act

    This regulatory guide is a rule as defined in the Congressional 
Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and 
Budget has not found it to be a major rule as defined in the 
Congressional Review Act.

IV. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    Regulatory Guide 1.27 provides guidance on one possible means for 
meeting the NRC's regulatory requirements of the GDC in appendix A, 
``General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants,'' to 10 CFR part 
50, which are applicable to the ultimate heat sink features of nuclear 
power plant systems. This regulatory guide does 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, Certifications and Approvals for Nuclear Power 
Plants.'' The NRC's position is based upon the following 
considerations.
    Regulatory Guide 1.27 may be applied to current applications for 
operating licenses, combined licenses, early site permits, and 
certified design rules docketed by the NRC as of the date of issuance 
of the final regulatory guide, as well as future applications submitted 
after the issuance of the regulatory guide. Such action would not 
constitute backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109(a)(1) or be 
otherwise inconsistent with the applicable issue finality provision in 
10 CFR part 52. Neither the Backfit Rule nor the issue finality 
provisions under 10 CFR part 52, with certain exclusions discussed 
below, were intended to apply 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 10 CFR part 52 license (e.g., 
an early site permit) or NRC regulatory approval (e.g., a design 
certification rule) with specified issue finality provisions. The NRC 
does not, at this time, intend to impose the positions represented in 
RG 1.27 on combined license applicants in a manner that is inconsistent 
with any issue finality provisions. If, in the future, the NRC seeks to 
impose a position in RG 1.27 in a manner which does not provide issue 
finality as described in the applicable issue finality provision, then 
the NRC must address the criteria for avoiding issue finality as 
described in the applicable issue finality provision.
    Existing 10 CFR part 50 construction permit holders and 10 CFR part 
50 operating license holders would not be required to comply with the 
positions set forth in RG 1.27, unless the construction permit or 
operating license holder makes a voluntary change to its licensing 
basis with respect to the UHS features of plant systems and the NRC 
determines that the safety review must include consideration of the UHS 
features of plant systems.
    Existing design certification rules would not be required to be 
amended to comply with the positions set forth in RG 1.27, unless the 
NRC addresses the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR 52.63(a).
    Existing combined license holders (referencing the AP1000 design 
certification rule in 10 CFR part 52, appendix D), would not be 
required to comply with the positions set forth in RG 1.27, unless the 
NRC addresses the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR 52.63(a).
    Further information on the NRC staff's use of the regulatory 
guidance is contained in Section D., ``Implementation,'' of RG 1.27.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of November 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. 2015-29691 Filed 11-20-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P