[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 212 (Thursday, November 1, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54951-54952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23869]
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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, Equipment Survivability Assessment
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. 139 and 138 to Combined Licenses (COLs), NPF-91
and NPF-92. The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company,
Inc., 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 changes to Tier 1
information asked for 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 August 24, 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 Regulations.gov Docket IDs 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 access publicly available documents online in the NRC
Library 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 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 April 6, 2018 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML18096B463).
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 exemptions from paragraph B of section III,
``Scope and Contents,'' of appendix D, ``Design
[[Page 54952]]
Certification Rule for the AP1000,'' to part 52 of title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), and issuing License Amendment Nos. 139
and 138 to COLs, NPF-91 and NPF-92, to SNC. 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 SNC to depart from
Tier 1 information. With the requested amendment, SNC proposes changes
to the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) in the form of
departures from the incorporated plant-specific Design Control Document
(DCD) Tier 2 information and related changes to the VEGP Units 3 and 4
COL and COL Appendix C (and corresponding plant-specific DCD Tier 1)
information. Specifically, the requested amendment includes changes to
the equipment survivability assessment requirements associated with
hydrogen burns during beyond design basis accidents as described in the
licensing basis documents, including COL Condition 2.D(12)(g)9 and
plant-specific Tier 1 Sections 2.2.3 and 2.3.9.
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 sections 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. ML18207A482.
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. ML18207A476 and ML18207A477,
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. ML18207A478 and ML18207A480,
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 April 6, 2018, SNC 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) 18-001,
``Equipment Survivability Assessment.''
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. ML18207A482, 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, SNC is granted an exemption from the certified DCD
Tier 1 information, with corresponding changes to appendix C of the
Facility Combined License as described in the licensee's request dated
April 6, 2018. This exemption is related to, and necessary for, the
granting of License Amendment Nos. 139 (Unit 3) and 138 (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. ML18207A482),
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 April 6, 2018, SNC requested that the NRC amend the
COLs for VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COL Nos. 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 May 22, 2018 (83 FR 23738). 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 SNC requested
on April 6, 2018. The exemptions and amendments were issued on August
24, 2018, as part of a combined package to SNC (ADAMS Accession No.
ML18207A488).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 29th 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. 2018-23869 Filed 10-31-18; 8:45 am]
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