[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 169 (Wednesday, August 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60029-60030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20873]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2015-0211]


Instrumentation and Controls Guidance

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Standard review plan-final section revision; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a 
final revision to Chapter 7, ``Instrumentation and Controls,'' of 
NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of Safety 
Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition.''

DATES: The effective date of this SRP update is September 30, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0211 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access 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-2015-0211. 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 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]. For 
the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS accession numbers are provided 
in a table in the ``Availability of Documents'' section of this 
document.
     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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn Lauron, telephone: 301-415-
2736; email: [email protected] or Mark Notich, telephone: 301-415-
3053; email: [email protected]; both are staff of the Office of New 
Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On September 16, 2015 (80 FR 55654), the NRC published for public 
comment the proposed revisions to Chapter 7 of the SRP. The NRC made no 
changes to the proposed revisions after the consideration of comments 
received. A summary of the comments and the NRC staff's disposition of 
the comments are available in a separate document, ``Response to Public 
Comments on Draft SRP Sections in Chapter 7.''
    The Office of New Reactors and the Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation are revising these sections from their current versions. 
Details of specific changes in the proposed revisions are included at 
the end of each of the proposed sections.
    The changes to this SRP chapter reflect current NRC staff's review 
methods and practices based on lessons learned from the NRC's reviews 
of design certification and combined license applications completed 
since the last revision of this chapter.

II. Backfitting and Finality Provisions

    Issuance of these revised SRP sections does not constitute 
backfitting as defined in Sec.  50.109 of title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Backfitting,'' (the Backfit Rule) and 
is not inconsistent with the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 
52. The NRC's position is based upon the following considerations:
    1. The SRP positions do not constitute backfitting, inasmuch as the 
SRP is internal guidance directed at the NRC staff with respect to 
their regulatory responsibilities.
    The SRP provides guidance to the staff on how to review an 
application for the NRC's regulatory approval in the form of licensing. 
Changes in internal staff guidance are not matters for which either 
nuclear power plant applicants or licensees are protected under either 
the Backfit Rule or the issue finality provisions of 10 CFR part 52.
    2. The NRC staff has no intention to impose the SRP positions on 
current licensees and regulatory approvals either now or in the future.
    The staff does not intend to impose or apply the positions 
described in the SRP to existing (already issued) licenses and 
regulatory approvals. Therefore, the issuance of a final SRP--even if 
considered guidance that is within the

[[Page 60030]]

purview of the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52--need not be 
evaluated as if it were a backfit or as being inconsistent with issue 
finality provisions. If, in the future, the staff seeks to impose a 
position in the SRP on holders of already issued licenses in a manner 
which does not provide issue finality as described in the applicable 
issue finality provision, then the staff must make the showing as set 
forth in the Backfit Rule or address the criteria for avoiding issue 
finality as described in the applicable issue finality provision.
    3. Backfitting and issue finality do not--with limited exceptions 
not applicable here--protect current or future applicants.
    Applicants and potential applicants are not, with certain 
exceptions, protected by either the Backfit Rule or any issue finality 
provisions under 10 CFR part 52. This is because neither the Backfit 
Rule nor the issue finality provisions under 10 CFR part 52--with 
certain exclusions discussed in the next paragraph--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 an 
applicant references a 10 CFR part 52 license (e.g., an early site 
permit) and/or NRC regulatory approval (e.g., a design certification 
rule) with specified issue finality provisions. The staff does not, at 
this time, intend to impose the positions represented in the SRP in a 
manner that is inconsistent with any issue finality provisions. If, in 
the future, the staff seeks to impose a position in the SRP in a manner 
which does not provide issue finality as described in the applicable 
issue finality provision, then the staff must address the criteria for 
avoiding issue finality as described in the applicable issue finality 
provision.

III. Congressional Review Act

    This action 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. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons.

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                                                               ADAMS
                        Document                           accession No.
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Summary of Comments and NRC Staff Disposition of             ML16050A366
 Comments--Response to Public Comments on Draft SRP
 Sections in Chapter 7..................................
SRP 7.0, ``Instrumentation and Controls--Overview of         ML16020A049
 Review Process,'' Revision 7...........................
SRP 7.1, ``Instrumentation and Controls--Introduction,''     ML16020A050
 Revision 6.............................................
Table 7-1, ``Table 7-1 Regulatory Requirements,              ML16020A103
 Acceptance Criteria, and Guidelines for Instrumentation
 and Control Systems Important to Safety,'' Revision 6..
SRP 7.2, ``Reactor Trip System,'' Revision 6............     ML16020A059
SRP 7.3, ``Engineered Safety Features Systems,''             ML16020A082
 Revision 6.............................................
SRP 7.4, ``Safe Shutdown Systems,'' Revision 6..........     ML16020A086
SRP 7.5, ``Information Systems Important to Safety,''        ML16020A088
 Revision 6.............................................
SRP 7.6, ``Interlock Systems Important to Safety,''          ML16020A092
 Revision 6.............................................
SRP 7.7, ``Control Systems,'' Revision 6................     ML16020A095
SRP 7.8, ``Diverse Instrumentation and Control               ML16020A096
 Systems,'' Revision 6..................................
SRP 7.9, ``Data Communication Systems,'' Revision 6.....     ML16020A097
App. 7.0-A, ``Review Process for Digital Instrumentation     ML16019A085
 and Control Systems,'' Revision 6......................
App. 7.1-A, ``Acceptance Criteria and Guidelines for         ML16019A088
 Instrumentation and Controls Systems Important to
 Safety,'' Revision 6...................................
App. 7.1-B, ``Guidance for Evaluation of Conformance to      ML16019A091
 IEEE Std 279,'' Revision 6.............................
App. 7.1-C, ``Guidance for Evaluation of Conformance to      ML16019A107
 IEEE Std 603,'' Revision 6.............................
App. 7.1-D, ``Guidance for Evaluation of the Application     ML16019A114
 of IEEE Std 7-4.3.2,'' Revision 1......................
BTP 7-1, ``Guidance on Isolation of Low-Pressure Systems     ML16019A127
 from the High-Pressure Reactor Coolant System,''
 Revision 6.............................................
BTP 7-2, ``Guidance on Requirements of Motor-Operated        ML16019A299
 Valves in the Emergency Core Cooling System Accumulator
 Lines,'' Revision 6....................................
BTP 7-3, ``Guidance on Protection System Trip Point          ML16019A358
 Changes for Operation with Reactor Coolant Pumps Out of
 Service,'' Revision 6..................................
BTP 7-4, ``Guidance on Design Criteria for Auxiliary         ML16020A028
 Feedwater Systems,'' Revision 6........................
BTP 7-5, ``Guidance on Spurious Withdrawals of Single        ML16020A033
 Control Rods in Pressurized Water Reactors,'' Revision
 6......................................................
BTP 7-6, ``Guidance on Design of Instrumentation and         ML16011A106
 Controls Provided to Accomplish Changeover from
 Injection to Recirculation Mode,'' Revision 6..........
BTP 7-8, ``Guidance for Application of Regulatory Guide      ML16020A044
 1.22,'' Revision 6.....................................
BTP 7-9, ``Guidance on Requirements for Reactor              ML16011A062
 Protection System Anticipatory Trips,'' Revision 6.....
BTP 7-10, ``Guidance on Application of Regulatory Guide      ML16019A169
 1.97,'' Revision 6.....................................
BTP 7-11, ``Guidance on Application and Qualification of     ML16019A184
 Isolation Devices,'' Revision 6........................
BTP 7-12, ``Guidance on Establishing and Maintaining         ML16019A200
 Instrument Setpoints,'' Revision 6.....................
BTP 7-13, ``Guidance on Cross-Calibration of Protection      ML16019A240
 System Resistance Temperature Detectors,'' Revision 6..
BTP 7-14, ``Guidance on Software Reviews for Digital         ML16019A308
 Computer-Based Instrumentation and Control Systems,''
 Revision 6.............................................
BTP 7-17, ``Guidance on Self-Test and Surveillance Test      ML16019A316
 Provisions,'' Revision 6...............................
BTP 7-18, ``Guidance on the Use of Programmable Logic        ML16019A327
 Controllers in Digital Computer-Based Instrumentation
 and Control Systems,'' Revision 6......................
BTP 7-19, ``Guidance for Evaluation of Diversity and         ML16019A344
 Defense-in-Depth in Digital Computer-Based
 Instrumentation and Control Systems,'' Revision 7......
BTP 7-21, ``Guidance on Digital Computer Real-Time           ML16020A036
 Performance,'' Revision 6..............................
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* No changes resulting from public comments. See documents in the
  package at ADAMS Accession No. ML16008B013 to see changes made since
  the last proposed revision.


    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of August, 2016.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Joseph Colaccino,
Chief, New Reactor Rulemaking and Guidance Branch, Division of 
Engineering Infrastructure and Advanced Reactors, Office of New 
Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2016-20873 Filed 8-30-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P