[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39599-39600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14197]
[[Page 39599]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2012-0110]
Acceptability of Probabilistic Risk Assessment Results for Risk-
Informed Activities
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for
public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1362, ``Acceptability of
Probabilistic Risk Assessment Results for Risk-Informed Activities.''
This proposed guide, which is Revision 3 to Regulatory Guide (RG)
1.200, describes one acceptable approach for determining whether a base
probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), in total or the portions that are
used to support an application, is acceptable to provide confidence in
the results, such that the PRA can be used in regulatory decision-
making for light-water reactors. When used in support of an
application, the use of this RG will obviate the need for an in-depth
review of the base PRA by NRC reviewers, allowing them to focus their
review on key assumptions and areas identified by peer reviewers.
DATES: Submit comments by July 31, 2020. Comments received after this
date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC is
able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before
this date. Although a time limit is given, comments and suggestions in
connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed
or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.
This public review and comment period is 30 days. The staff has
discussed the content of this draft RG in several public meetings and
the staff has addressed multiple comments from the public and industry
representatives.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0110. Address
questions about NRC dockets in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop:
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anders Gilbertson, telephone: 301-415-
1541, email: [email protected], and Harriet Karagiannis,
telephone: 301-415-2493, email: [email protected]. Both are
staff of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2012-0110 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this action. You may
obtain publicly-available information related to this action, by any of
the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0110.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://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 reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by
email to [email protected].
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC-2012-0110 in your comment submission.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC posts all comment submissions at https://www.regulations.gov as well as enters the comment submissions into
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove
identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.
II. Additional Information
The NRC is issuing for public comment a draft guide in the NRC's
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe
methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific
parts of the agency's regulations, to explain techniques that the staff
uses in evaluating specific issues or postulated events, and to
describe information that the staff needs in its review of applications
for permits and licenses.
The DG, titled, ``Acceptability of Probabilistic Risk Assessment
Results for Risk-Informed Activities,'' is proposed Revision 3 of RG
1.200 and is temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1362 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML19308B636).
DG-1362 describes one acceptable approach for determining whether
the acceptability of the base probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), in
total or the portions that are used to support an application, is
sufficient to provide confidence in the results, such that the PRA can
be used in regulatory decision-making for light-water reactors (LWRs).
Also, it addresses new industry guidance and enhancements identified
since the last revision was issued in March 2009. Specifically, this
revision endorses, with staff clarifications and exceptions, the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and American Nuclear
Society (ANS) Standard ASME/ANS RA-Sa-2009, ``Standard for Level 1/
Large Early Release Frequency Probabilistic Risk Assessment for Nuclear
Power Plant Applications,'' the ASME/ANS standard ASME/ANS RA-S Case 1
for seismic PRA, ``Case for ASME/ANS RA-Sb-2013 Standard for Level 1/
Large Early Release Frequency Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Nuclear
Power Plant Applications,'' Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 17-07,
Revision 2, ``Performance of PRA Peer Reviews Using the ASME/ANS PRA
Standard'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML19241A615) and Pressurized-Reactor
Owners Group (PWROG) report PWROG-19027-NP, Revision 1, ``Newly
Developed Method Requirements and Peer Review'' (ADAMS Accession No.
ML20010F274). This revision further provides for a peer review of newly
developed methods, clarifies the process for determining how to
classify changes to a PRA,
[[Page 39600]]
provides definitions related to newly developed methods and other PRA
terms, and enhances guidance related to key assumptions and sources of
uncertainty.
The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory
analysis (ADAMS Accession No. ML20052C809). The staff develops a
regulatory analysis to assess the value of issuing or revising a
regulatory guide as well as alternative courses of action.
III. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality
This DG, if finalized, would provide one acceptable approach for
determining whether the acceptability of the base PRA, in total or the
portions that are used to support an application, is sufficient to
provide confidence in the results, such that the PRA can be used in
regulatory decision-making for LWRs. Issuance of this DG, if finalized,
would not constitute backfitting as defined in section 50.109 of title
10 of Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Backfitting,'' and as
described in NRC Management Directive 8.4, ``Management of Backfitting,
Forward Fitting, Issue Finality, and Information Requests'' (ADAMS
Accession No. ML18093B087); affect issue finality of any approval
issued under 10 CFR part 52, ``Licenses, Certificates, and Approvals
for Nuclear Power Plants''; or constitute forward fitting as defined in
Management Directive 8.4, because, as explained in this DG, licensees
are not required to comply with the positions set forth in this DG.
IV. Specific Requests for Comments
In addition to the general request for comments on DG-1362, the NRC
is also seeking specific comments that address the following questions:
1. Prolonged retention of peer review exceptions and deficiencies,
which are more commonly referred to as Facts and Observations (F&Os),
has the potential to reduce confidence in the implementation of risk-
informed programs and increase licensing and potential inspection
review resources. As part of a licensee's base PRA model configuration
control process, should licensees periodically close all F&Os using one
of the two relevant processes (i.e., a focused-scope peer review or an
independent assessment team closure review) in NEI 17-07, Revision 2?
2. What should be the periodicity for completion of these closure
processes?
Dated: June 26, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Meraj Rahimi,
Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Generic Issues Branch, Division of
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2020-14197 Filed 6-30-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P