[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 36 (Thursday, February 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11564-11566]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03917]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2020-0160]
Changes to Subsequent License Renewal Guidance Documents
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Interim staff guidance; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing three
Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) documents that update aging management
criteria for mechanical, structural, and electrical structures and
components in the NRC's subsequent license renewal (SLR) guidance
documents. Specifically, the ISGs revise guidance contained in NUREG-
2191, ``Generic Aging Lessons Learned for Subsequent License Renewal
(GALL-SLR) Report,'' and NUREG-2192, ``Standard Review Plan for Review
of Subsequent License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants.''
These ISGs are intended to facilitate preparation of SLR applications
by clarifying existing guidance for aging management and adding new
guidance, which also will facilitate the NRC staff's review of SLR
applications.
DATES: This guidance is effective on March 29, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0160 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 https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0160. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann;
telephone: 301-415-0624; 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 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 (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or
by email to [email protected]. For the convenience of the reader,
instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are
provided in the ``Availability of Documents'' section.
Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies
of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request
to the PDR via email at [email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or
301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Mitchell, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-0833; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On July 2, 2020 (85 FR 39938) and August 3, 2020, (85 FR 46735),
the staff requested public comments on the following draft ISGs:
Draft SLR-ISG-MECHANICAL-2020-XX; Updated Aging Management
Criteria for Mechanical Portions of Subsequent License Renewal Guidance
Draft SLR-ISG-STRUCTURES-2020-XX; Updated Aging Management
Criteria for Structures Portions of Subsequent License Renewal Guidance
Draft SLR-ISG-ELECTRICAL-2020-XX; Updated Aging Management
Criteria for Electrical Portions of Subsequent License Renewal Guidance
[[Page 11565]]
Errata for Draft SLR-ISG-MECHANICAL-2020-XX; Updated Aging
Management Criteria for Mechanical Portions of Subsequent License
Renewal Guidance
The NRC received comments from the Nuclear Energy Institute by
letter dated August 10, 2020 (ADAMS Accession No. ML20224A465). No
other comments were submitted. The NRC staff considered those comments
in developing the final versions of the ISGs. The staff's responses to
the comments are provided in each of the final ISGs in appendices
titled ``Disposition of Public Comments.''
These ISGs update NUREG-2191, ``Generic Aging Lessons Learned for
Subsequent License Renewal (GALL-SLR) Report,'' and NUREG-2192,
``Standard Review Plan for Review of Subsequent License Renewal
Applications for Nuclear Power Plants.'' NUREG-2191 and NUREG-2192 were
published in July 2017, and a full review and revision to these
documents is not scheduled to be performed for several years. The staff
has reviewed the first three subsequent license renewal applications
(SLRAs) that were based on the previously noted guidance documents.
During these reviews, the staff and applicants identified improvements
to the guidance that would assist in preparing and reviewing future
SLRAs more effectively and efficiently. These ISGs provide interim
updates to NUREG-2191 and NUREG-2192 to implement these improvements.
These ISGs are not intended for standalone use. They provide
revisions to NUREG-2191 and NUREG-2192 sections and tables that
supersede the content in the NUREGs and are intended to be used within
the context of the NUREGs. The revisions captured in these ISGs
include:
Updates to recommended aging management programs;
changes to aging management review items in NUREG-2191
tables and corresponding summary tables in NUREG-2192;
new aging management review items in NUREG-2191 tables and
corresponding summary tables in NUREG-2192;
changes to ``further evaluation'' guidance sections in
NUREG-2192;
updates to references listed in affected NUREG-2191
sections; and
editorial corrections to relevant sections.
II. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the following table are available to
interested persons in ADAMS, as indicated.
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Document ADAMS Accession No.
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NUREG-2191, ``Generic Aging ML16274A389 (Vol. 1); ML16274A399
Lessons Learned for Subsequent (Vol. 2).
License Renewal (GALL-SLR)
Report''.
NUREG-2192, ``Standard Review Plan ML16274A402.
for Review of Subsequent License
Renewal Applications for Nuclear
Power Plants, Final Report''.
Draft SLR-ISG-MECHANICAL-2020-XX; ML20156A330.
Updated Aging Management Criteria
for Mechanical Portions of
Subsequent License Renewal
Guidance.
Draft SLR-ISG-STRUCTURES-2020-XX; ML20156A338.
Updated Aging Management Criteria
for Structures Portions of
Subsequent License Renewal
Guidance.
Draft SLR-ISG-ELECTRICAL-2020-XX; ML20156A324.
Updated Aging Management Criteria
for Electrical Portions of
Subsequent License Renewal
Guidance.
Errata for Draft SLR-ISG- ML20198M382.
MECHANICAL-2020-XX; Updated Aging
Management Criteria for
Mechanical Portions of Subsequent
License Renewal Guidance.
March 28, 2019, Summary of ML19112A206.
Category 2 Public Meeting on
Lessons Learned from the Review
of the First Subsequent License
Renewal Applications.
Summary of December 12, 2019, ML20016A347.
Category 2 Public Meeting on
Lessons Learned from the Review
of the First Subsequent License
Renewal Applications.
February 20, 2020, Summary of ML20076E074.
Category 2 Public Meeting on
Lessons Learned from the Review
of the First Subsequent License
Renewal Applications.
Summary of March 25, 2020, Meeting ML20107F702.
with Industry Related to
Revisions to Subsequent License
Renewal Guidance Documents.
Summary of April 3, 2020, Meeting ML20107F733.
with Industry Regarding Changes
to Subsequent License Renewal
Guidance Documents.
Summary of April 7, 2020 Meeting ML20107F699.
with Industry Regarding Revisions
to the Subsequent License Renewal
Guidance Documents.
Comment (1) of Allison Borst & ML20224A465.
Peter W. Kissinger, on Behalf of
Nuclear Energy Institute, on
Changes to Subsequent License
Renewal Guidance Documents.
Final SLR-ISG-2021-02-MECHANICAL; ML20181A434.
Updated Aging Management Criteria
for Mechanical Portions of
Subsequent License Renewal
Guidance.
Final SLR-ISG-2021-03-STRUCTURES; ML20181A381.
Updated Aging Management Criteria
for Structures Portions of
Subsequent License Renewal
Guidance.
Final SLR-ISG-2021-04-ELECTRICAL; ML20181A395.
Updated Aging Management Criteria
for Electrical Portions of
Subsequent License Renewal
Guidance.
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III. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality
These ISGs intend to revise guidance for the NRC staff reviewing
SLRAs and for prospective applicants in preparing SLRAs. Issuance of
these ISGs does not constitute a backfit as defined in section
50.109(a)(1) of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
and is not otherwise inconsistent with the issue finality provisions in
10 CFR part 52. As discussed in the ``Backfitting'' sections of the
final ISGs, the ISG positions do not constitute backfitting inasmuch as
the ISGs are guidance directed to the NRC staff with respect to its
regulatory responsibilities and to applicants who choose to follow the
guidance. Applicants and potential applicants are not, with certain
exceptions, the subject of either the backfit rule or any issue
finality provisions under 10 CFR part 52. The NRC staff has no
intention to impose the ISG positions on existing nuclear power plant
licensees either now or in the future (absent a voluntary request for a
change from the licensee).
[[Page 11566]]
IV. Congressional Review Act
These ISGs are rules as defined in the Congressional Review Act (5
U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and Budget has not
found them to be major rules as defined in the Congressional Review
Act.
Dated: February 22, 2021.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert Caldwell,
Deputy Director, Division of New and Renewed Licenses, Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2021-03917 Filed 2-24-21; 8:45 am]
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