[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