[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 121 (Friday, June 22, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29144-29145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-13404]
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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 Plant, Units 3 and 4; Improvements to Main Control Room
Post-Accident Radiological Consequences
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 AP1000 design control document (DCD) and is
issuing License Amendment Nos. 123 and 122 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 exemption and amendment were issued on April 20, 2018.
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 Jennifer Borges; 301-287-9127; 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 access publicly available documents online in the NRC
Library 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 that document is available in ADAMS)
is provided the first time that a document is referenced. The request
for the amendment and exemption was submitted by letter dated August
31, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17243A352) and supplemented by letters
dated February 9, 2018 and March 8, 2018 (ADAMS Accession Nos.
ML18040A488 and ML18067A648).
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. Background
The NRC is granting exemptions 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. 123 and 122 to COLs, NPF-91
and NPF-92,
[[Page 29145]]
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
departs from Tier 2 information in the Updated Final Safety Analysis
Report (which includes the plant-specific Design Control Document (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 amendment changes the
plant-specific nuclear island non-radioactive ventilation system, the
main control room emergency habitability system, and post-accident
operator dose analyses. These changes maintain compliance with General
Design Criterion (19), which requires that main control room personnel
dose does not exceed 5 roentgen equivalent man (rem) total effective
dose equivalent for the duration of a design basis accident.
Part of the justification for granting the exemptions was provided
by the review of the amendments. Because the exemption is necessary in
order to issue the requested license amendment, the NRC granted the
exemptions and issued the amendments 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 exemptions 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. ML18085A628.
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. ML18085A622 and
ML18085A623, 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. ML18085A624 and
ML18085A626, 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 VEGP, 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 August 31, 2017, and supplemented by letters
dated February 9, 2018, and March 8, 2018, the licensee requested from
the Commission an exemption from the provisions of 10 CFR part 52,
appendix D, section III.B, as part of license amendment request (LAR)
17-023, ``Improvements to Main Control Room Post-Accident Radiological
Consequences.''
For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1, ``Evaluation of
Exemption,'' of the NRC staff's safety evaluation, which can be found
in ADAMS under Accession No. ML18085A628, 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 August 31, 2017, as supplemented by letters
dated February 9, 2018, and March 8, 2018. This exemption is related
to, and necessary for, the granting of License Amendment Nos. 123 and
122, 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. ML18085A628),
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. These exemptions are effective as of the date of its issuance.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated August 31, 2017, and supplemented by letters dated
February 9, 2018, and March 8, 2018, 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 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 October 24, 2017 (82 FR 49234). 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 exemption and issued the amendment that the licensee
requested on August 31, 2017, and supplemented on February 9, 2018 and
March 8, 2018.
The exemptions and amendments were issued on April 20, 2018, as
part of a combined package to the licensee (ADAMS Accession No.
ML18085A620).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of June 2018.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jennifer L. Dixon-Herrity,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of Licensing, Siting, and
Environmental Analysis, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2018-13404 Filed 6-21-18; 8:45 am]
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