[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5465-5467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02473]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 52-025 and 52-026; NRC-2008-0252]


Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., Vogtle Electric 
Generating Station, Units 3 and 4; Addition of a Residual Heat Removal 
Suction Relief Valve for Low-Temperature Overpressure Protection

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 departure from the certification information of 
Tier 1 of the generic design control document (DCD) and is issuing 
License Amendment Nos. 104 and 103 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 
and NPF-92, respectively. The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear 
Operating Company, Inc., and Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power 
Corporation, MEAG Power SPVM, LLC, MEAG Power SPVJ, LLC, MEAG Power 
SPVP, LLC, and the City of Dalton, Georgia (the licensee); for 
construction and operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant 
(VEGP) Units 3 and 4, located in Burke County, Georgia.
    The granting of the exemption allows the changes to Tier 1 
information that is requested in the amendment. 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 exemptions and amendments were issued on December 20, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2008-0252 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access information related to this document, which the NRC 
possesses and is publicly available, using any of the following 
methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2008-0252. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol

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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 it is mentioned in this 
document. The request for the amendment and exemption was submitted by 
letter dated July 14, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17195B047) and 
supplemented by letter dated October 3, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML17276B537).
     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: Paul Kallan, Office of New Reactors, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; 
telephone: 301-415-2809; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is granting an exemption from paragraph B of section III, 
``Scope and Contents,'' of Appendix D, ``Design Certification Rule for 
the AP1000,'' to part 52 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(10 CFR), and issuing License Amendment Nos. 104 and 103 to COLs, NPF-
91 and NPF-92, respectively, to the licensee. The exemptions are 
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 
depart from Tier 1 information. With the requested amendment, the 
licensee proposes to depart from Tier 2 information in the Updated 
Final Safety Analysis Report (which includes the plant-specific DCD 
Tier 2 information) and involves related changes to plant-specific Tier 
1 (and associated COL Appendix C) information, and COL Appendix A, 
Technical Specifications. Specifically, the requested amendment 
proposes changes to add a second normal residual heat removal system 
(RNS) suction relief valve in parallel to the current RNS suction 
relief valve, with the necessary piping changes. Additionally, a change 
is proposed to Tier 1 Figure 2.2.1-1, for penetration P19, to 
accurately depict the orientation of the class break of containment 
isolation valve RNS-PL-V061.
    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 section VIII.A.4 of appendix D 
to 10 CFR part 52. The license amendments were found to be acceptable 
as well. The combined safety evaluation is available in ADAMS under 
Accession No. ML17332A521.
    Identical exemption documents (except for referenced unit numbers 
and license numbers) were issued to the licensee for VEGP Units 3 and 4 
(COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92). The exemption documents for VEGP Units 3 and 
4 can be found in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML17332A515 and 
ML17332A516, 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-91 and NPF-92 
are available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML17332A517 and 
ML17332A519, respectively. A summary of the amendment documents is 
provided in Section III of this document.

II. Exemption

    Reproduced below is the exemption document issued to Vogtle Units 3 
and Unit 4. 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 July 14, 2017, and supplemented by letter 
dated October 3, 2017, the licensee requested from the Commission an 
exemption to allow departures from Tier 1 information in the certified 
DCD incorporated by reference 10 CFR part 52, appendix D, ``Design 
Certification Rule for the AP1000 Design,'' as part of license 
amendment request (LAR) 17-022, ``Addition of a Residual Heat Removal 
Suction Relief Valve for Low-Temperature Overpressure Protection.''
    For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1, of the NRC staff's Safety 
Evaluation, which can be found in ADAMS under Accession No. 
ML17332A521, 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 DCD Tier 1 information, with corresponding changes to 
Appendix C of the Facility Combined Licenses as described in the 
licensee's request dated July 14, 2017, and supplemented by letter 
dated October 3, 2017. This exemption is related to, and necessary for, 
the granting of License Amendment Nos. 104 (Unit 3) and 103 (Unit 4), 
which is being issued concurrently with this exemption.
    3. As explained in Section 5.0, ``Environmental Consideration,'' of 
the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation (ADAMS Accession No. ML17332A521), 
these exemptions 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. These exemptions are effective as of the date of its issuance.

III. License Amendment Request

    By letter dated July 14, 2017, and supplemented by letter dated 
October 3, 2017, the licensee requested that the NRC amend the COLs for 
VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92. The proposed amendment is 
described in Section I of this Federal Register notice.
    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

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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 September 12, 2017 (82 FR 42844). No comments were received 
during the 30-day comment period.
    The Commission has determined that these amendments satisfy the 
criteria for categorical exclusion in accordance with 10 CFR 51.22. 
Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental impact 
statement or environmental assessment need be prepared for these 
amendments.

IV. Conclusion

    Using the reasons set forth in the combined safety evaluation, the 
staff granted the exemptions and issued the amendments that the 
licensee requested on July 14, 2017 and supplemented October 3, 2017.
    The exemptions and amendments were issued on December 20, 2017 as 
part of a combined package to the licensee (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML17332A513).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of February 2018.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Jennifer L. Dixon-Herrity,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, Office of 
New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2018-02473 Filed 2-6-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P