[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