[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 174 (Tuesday, September 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55522-55523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19774]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2020-0203]
Fresh and Spent Fuel Pool Criticality Analyses
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for
public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1373, ``Fresh and Spent
Fuel Pool Criticality Analyses.'' This draft guide, if finalized as a
new regulatory guide (RG), would update and supersede Interim Staff
Guidance DSS-ISG-2010-01, ``Staff Guidance Regarding the Nuclear
Criticality Safety Analysis for Spent Fuel Pools.'' This draft guide
describes an approach that the NRC staff considers acceptable to
demonstrate that NRC regulatory requirements are met for subcriticality
of fuel assemblies stored in fresh fuel vaults and spent fuel pools at
light-water reactor power plants. It endorses, with clarifications and
exceptions, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) guidance document NEI
12-16, ``Guidance for Performing Criticality Analyses of Fuel Storage
at Light-Water Reactor Power Plants,'' Revision 4.
DATES: Submit comments by October 23, 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.
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-2020-0203. Address
questions about Docket IDs 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: Kent Wood, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-4120, email: [email protected], and
Michael Eudy, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-
415-3104, email: [email protected]. Both are staff of the 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-2020-0203 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information for 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-2020-0203.
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-2020-0203 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 will post all comment submissions at
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter 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 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 ``Fresh and Spent Fuel Pool Criticality Analyses,''
is a proposed new RG temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1373
(ADAMS Accession No. ML20182A788). It endorses, with clarifications and
exceptions, the NEI guidance document NEI 12-16, Revision 4, (ADAMS
Accession No. ML19269E069). This DG proposes guidance to meet
regulatory requirements for subcriticality of fuel assemblies stored in
fresh fuel vaults and spent fuel pools at light-water reactor power
plants. This DG provides clarity and consistency regarding the
necessary scope of efforts for applicants and licensees to demonstrate
compliance with the requirements for performing criticality analyses of
fuel storage at light-water reactor power plants under section 50.68(b)
of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). This DG
applies to applicants and licensees subject to 10 CFR part 50,
``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities,'' or 10
CFR part 52, ``Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear
Power Plants.''
In addition, this proposed new RG, if finalized, would update and
supersede Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) DSS-ISG-2010-01 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML110620086). The ISG was issued in 2011 to support the staff's
review of methods for performing criticality analyses submitted to
demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 50.68(b). The staff would withdraw
DSS-ISG-2010-
[[Page 55523]]
01 concurrently with the issuance of this new RG. Licensees using DSS-
ISG-2010-01 to demonstrate compliance with NRC requirements may
continue using that guidance as long as they do not change their
licensing bases relative to that guidance.
The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory
analysis (ADAMS Accession No. ML20205L563). 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
DG-1373, if finalized, would provide guidance for performing
criticality analyses of fuel storage at light-water reactor power
plants. Issuance of DG-1373, if finalized, would not constitute
backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109, ``Backfitting,'' and as
described in NRC Management Directive 8.4, ``Management of Backfitting,
Forward Fitting, Issue Finality, and Information Requests,'' (Ref. 18);
affect issue finality of any approval issued under 10 CFR part 52; or
constitute forward fitting as defined in Management Directive 8.4. As
explained in DG-1373, licensees are not required to comply with the
positions set forth in this guide.
Dated: September 2, 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. 2020-19774 Filed 9-4-20; 8:45 am]
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