[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 116 (Monday, June 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28104-28105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12675]
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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; Routing of Class 1E Division Cables
Supporting Passive Containment Cooling
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 No. 161 for Unit 3 and No. 159 for Unit 4 to Combined
Licenses (COLs), NPF-91 and NPF-92. 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 changes to Tier 1
information asked for 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 May 20, 2019.
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 ``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 designated
License Amendment Request (LAR 18-028) and submitted by letter dated
November 16, 2018, and supplemented January 24, 2019, and available in
ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML18320A225 and ML19024A179.
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: Peter C. Hearn, Office of New
Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-415-1189; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC issuing License Amendment Nos. 161 for Unit 3 and No. 159
for Unit 4 to COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92 and is granting an exemption from
Tier 1 information in the plant-specific DCD for the AP1000. The AP1000
DCD is incorporated by reference in appendix D, ``Design Certification
Rule for the AP1000,'' to part 52 of title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR). The exemption, granted pursuant to paragraph A.4
of section VIII, ``Processes for Changes and
[[Page 28105]]
Departures,'' of 10 CFR part 52, appendix D, allows the licensee to
depart from the Tier 1 information. With the requested amendment, SNC
sought proposed changes to Updated Final Safety Analysis Report Tier 2
information. The proposed amendment also involves related changes to
plant-specific Tier 1 information, with corresponding changes to the
associated COL Appendix C information. Specifically, the licensee
requested changes to reflect revisions in the routing of Class 1E
cables associated with the passive containment cooling system.
Additionally, related consistency revisions in the safe shutdown
evaluation divisional separation information are proposed.
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 Sec. Sec. 50.12, 52.7, and section VIII.A.4 of appendix D to
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. ML19113A261.
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. ML19113A259 and ML19113A260,
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. ML19113A255 and ML19113A257,
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 November 16, 2018, and supplemented January
24, 2019, SNC requested from the Commission an exemption to allow
departures from Tier 1 information in the certified DCD incorporated by
reference in 10 CFR part 52, appendix D, as part of license amendment
request 18-028, ``Routing of Class 1E Division Cables Supporting
Passive Containment Cooling.''
For the reasons set forth in Section 3.2 of the NRC staff's Safety
Evaluation, which can be found in ADAMS under Accession No.
ML19113A261, 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 information in COL Appendix C of
the Facility Combined License as described in the licensee's request
dated November 16, 2018, and supplemented January 24, 2019. This
exemption is related to, and necessary for the granting of License
Amendment Nos. 161 and 159 which is being issued concurrently with this
exemption.
3. As explained in Section 5.0 of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation
(ADAMS Accession No. ML19113A261), 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 November 16, 2018, and supplemented by letter dated
January 24, 2019, (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML18320A225 and ML19024A179).
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 document.
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 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
January 2, 2019 (84 FR 20). 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 November 16, 2018, and supplemented January 24, 2019.
The exemption and amendment were issued to SNC on May 20, 2019, as
part of a combined package (ADAMS Accession No. ML19113A253).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day of June 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jennifer L. Dixon-Herrity,
Chief, Licensing Branch 2, Division of Licensing, Siting, and
Environmental Analysis, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2019-12675 Filed 6-14-19; 8:45 am]
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