[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 210 (Tuesday, October 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54622-54623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23627]


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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; Changes to Tier 2* Departure 
Evaluation Process

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 for prior NRC approval of any departure from Tier 2* 
information or any departure from Tier 2 information that involves a 
change to or departure from Tier 2* information, provided that 
specified criteria are not met, and is issuing License Amendment Nos. 
142 and 141 to Combined Licenses (COLs) 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 (collectively SNC); 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 imposition of License 
Condition 2.D.13 asked for in the 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 amendment were issued on September 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 obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
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 Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges; 
telephone: 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 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 ``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 December 21, 
2017, and available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML17355A416.
     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: Chandu Patel, Office of New Reactors, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; 
telephone: 301-415-3025; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    The NRC is granting an exemption from paragraphs B.5.a, B.6.b, and 
B.6.c of section VIII, ``Processes for Changes and Departures,'' of 
Appendix D, of Part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(10 CFR), and issuing License Amendment No. to COLs, NPF-91 and NPF-92, 
to SNC. With the requested amendment, SNC sought proposed License 
Condition 2.D.13 and proposed changes that would revise the Updated 
Final Safety Analysis Report Tier 2 information.
    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 Sections 50.12 and 52.7 of 10 CFR part 52. The license 
amendment was found to be acceptable as well. The combined safety 
evaluation is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML18207A262.
    Identical exemption documents (except for referenced unit numbers 
and license numbers) were issued to SNC 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. ML18235A031 and ML18235032, 
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. ML18235A033 and ML18235A035, 
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 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 December 21, 2017, as supplemented by letters 
dated April 6, May 11, June 18, August 3, August 10, and September 13, 
2018, SNC requested from the Commission an exemption from the 
requirements of 10 CFR part 52, Appendix D, ``Design Certification Rule 
for the AP1000 Design,'' Section VIII, ``Processes for Changes and 
Departures,'' paragraphs VIII.B.5.a, VIII.B.6.b, and VIII.B.6.c, for 
prior NRC approval of any departure from Tier 2* information or any 
departure from Tier 2 information that involves a change to or 
departure from Tier 2* information, provided that specified criteria 
are not met. SNC specified the criteria in a new license condition in 
license amendment request (LAR) 17-037, ``Changes to the Tier 2* 
Departure Evaluation Process,'' which SNC submitted together with the 
exemption request. The proposed license condition would allow SNC to 
apply the change process for Tier 2 information in 10 CFR part 52, 
Appendix D, Section VIII.B.5, to a

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proposed departure from Tier 2* information in the UFSAR (which 
includes the plant-specific design certification document (DCD), 
provided the criteria in the new condition are not met. For the reasons 
set forth in Section 3.2 of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation, which 
can be found at ADAMS Accession No. ML18207A262, 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;
    2. Accordingly, SNC is granted an exemption from the requirements 
to obtain prior NRC approval for any departure from Tier 2* information 
and an exemption from the requirement to obtain prior NRC approval for 
any departure from Tier 2 information that involves a change to or 
departure from Tier 2* information, as described in the licensee's 
request dated December 21, 2017, as supplemented by letters dated April 
6, May 11, June 18, August 3, August 10, and September 13, 2018, 
provided that each of the criteria in License Condition 2.D.(13)(a) is 
not met for each such departure. These exemptions are related to, and 
necessary for the granting of License Amendment No. 142, which is being 
issued concurrently with this exemption.
    3. As explained in Section 6.0 of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML18207A262), 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

    By letter dated December 21, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML17355A416), SNC 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 Comission 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 COL, 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 
February 13, 2018 (83 FR 6234). Public comments were received during 
the 30-day comment period. The staff's responses to the comments appear 
in Section 5.0 of the Safety Evaluation.
    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 SNC requested 
on September 20, 2018. The exemption and amendment were issued on 
September 20, 2018, as part of a combined package to the licensee 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML18235A029).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of October 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. 2018-23627 Filed 10-29-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P