[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 141 (Friday, July 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47841-47842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17387]


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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; South Carolina Public Service Authority; 
Increased Concrete Thickness Tolerance for Column Line J-1 and J-2 
Walls Above 66'6''

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 change to the certification information of Tier 1 
of the generic design control document (DCD) and issuing License 
Amendment No. 47 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-93 and NPF-94. The 
COLs were issued to the South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) 
and the South Carolina Public Service Authority (together called the 
licensee) in March 2012, for the 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 license amendment 
request. Because the acceptability of the exemption was determined in 
part by the acceptability of the amendment, the exemption and amendment 
are being issued concurrently.

DATES: The exemption and combined license amendment referenced in this 
document are available on July 22, 2016.

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 January 14, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16015A058). The licensee 
supplemented this request by letter dated February 22, 2016 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML16053A405).
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville 
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Specific information on NRC's PDR is 
available at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/pdr.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William (Billy) Gleaves, Sr. Project 
Manager, Office of New Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-5848; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    In a letter dated January 14, 2016, and revised on February 22, 
2016, the licensee requested a license amendment and exemption (ADAMS 
Accession Nos. ML16015A058 and ML16053A405). The NRC is granting an 
exemption from Tier 1 information in the certified DCD incorporated by 
reference in part 52 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 
CFR), appendix D, ``Design Certification Rule for the AP1000 Design,'' 
and issuing License Amendment No. 47 to COLs NPF-93 and NPF-94. 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 change Tier 1 information. With the requested amendment, 
the licensee sought proposed changes related to the plant-specific Tier 
1 information. The Tier 1 information for which a plant-specific 
exemption is being requested includes plant-specific Tier 1, Table 3.3-
1 to change the tolerance for the concrete thickness of the column line 
J-1 and J-2 walls from 1 inch to a tolerance of -1 inch and 
+4 inch for a length of 24 inches at the interface of these reinforced 
concrete walls to structural module connections at the column line

[[Page 47842]]

4 structural module wall (i.e., the north wall of the CA20 module) and 
authorizes changes to COL Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) 
Subsection 3.8.4.1.2 to provide a basis for the revision to plant-
specific Tier 1 information. The license amendment request contained 
proposed changes to plant-specific Tier 1, COL Appendix C, and UFSAR 
Tier 2 text.
    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. ML16099A189.
    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. ML16099A308 and ML16099A311, 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. 
ML16099A304 and ML16099A257, respectively. A summary of the amendment 
documents is provided in Section III of this document.

II. Exemption

    The following 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 January 14, 2016, and revised by letter dated 
February 11, 2016, the South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SC&G/
licensee) requested from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC/
Commission) an exemption to allow changes from Tier 1 information in 
the plant-specific Tier 1 to the certified AP1000 Design, Tier 1 
information, 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) 15-20, ``Increased Concrete Thickness Tolerance 
for Column Line J-1 and J-2 Walls above 66'-6''.''
    For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1 of the NRC staff's Safety 
Evaluation that supports this license amendment, which can be found at 
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession 
Number ML16099A189, 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 from the 
certified AP1000 Design Control Document Tier 1 information, as 
described in the licensee's request dated January 14, 2016, and revised 
by letter dated February 11, 2016. This exemption is related to, and 
necessary for, the granting of License Amendment No. 47, which is being 
issued concurrently with this exemption.
    3. As explained in Section 5 of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation 
that supports this license amendment (ADAMS Accession Number 
ML16099A189), 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 January 14, 2016, and supplemented by letter dated 
February 11, 2016. The proposed amendment is described in Section I.
    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 March 10, 2016 (81 FR 12751). 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. The supplement, dated February 11, 2016, 
provided additional information that clarified the application, did not 
expand the scope of the application as originally noticed, and did not 
change the staff's original proposed no significant hazards 
consideration determination as published in the Federal Register.

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 January 14, 2016, and supplemented by letter dated 
February 11, 2016. The exemption and amendment were issued on March 31, 
2015, as part of a combined package to the licensee (ADAMS Accession 
No. ML16099A153).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of July 2016.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jennifer Dixon-Herrity,
Acting Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, 
Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2016-17387 Filed 7-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P