[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 51 (Thursday, March 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18680-18681]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05409]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-10; NRC-2023-0155]


Northern States Power Company; Prairie Island Independent Spent 
Fuel Storage Installation; License Amendment Application

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice; issuance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviewed an 
application by Northern States Power Company (NSPM) for amendment of 
Special Nuclear Materials License No. SNM-2506 which authorizes NSPM to 
receive, possess, store, and transfer spent nuclear fuel and associated 
radioactive materials. The amendment request sought to revise the 
technical specifications (TS) for the Prairie Island Independent Spent 
Fuel Storage Installation (PI ISFSI) to allow use of a Code alternative 
as an option to the requirements of the 2004 Edition through 2006 
Addenda of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler 
and Pressure Vessel (B&PV) Code, Section III, Division 1, Subsection 
NB, Paragraph NB-5130, by revising the TS to add the Code alternative 
to TS section 4.4, table 4.4-1, TN-40HT ASME Code Exceptions.

DATES: The license amendment was issued March 5, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0155 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-2023-0155. 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, at 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.
     NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an 
appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John-Chau Nguyen, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0262; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC received, by letter dated July 14, 
2023 (ADAMS Accession No. ML23195A187), a license amendment application 
from NSPM, to amend Special Nuclear Materials License No. SNM-2506, 
which authorizes the storage of spent fuel at the PI ISFSI located in 
Welch, Minnesota. Specifically, the amendment sought to revise the TS 
to allow use of a Code alternative as an option to the requirements of 
the 2004 Edition through 2006 Addenda of the American Society of 
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel (B&PV) Code, 
Section III, Division 1, Subsection NB, Paragraph NB-5130, by revising 
the TS to add the Code alternative to TS section 4.4, table 4.4-1, TN-
40HT ASME Code Exceptions.
    An NRC administrative completeness review, documented in a letter 
to NSPM dated August 24, 2023 (ADAMS Accession No. ML23234A135), found 
the application acceptable to begin a technical review. In accordance 
with section 72.16 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 
CFR), a notice of docketing was published in the Federal Register on 
September 8, 2023 (88 FR 62108). The notice of docketing included an 
opportunity to request a hearing and to petition for leave to 
intervene. No requests for a hearing or petitions for leave to 
intervene were submitted.
    The NRC prepared a safety evaluation report (SER) (ADAMS Accession 
No. ML24008A131) to document its review and evaluation of the amendment 
request. In addition, the NRC evaluated an assertion by NSPM that the 
amendment request satisfied the categorical exclusion criteria 
specified in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(11). Under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(11), a 
categorical exclusion is allowed for amendments to materials licenses 
which are administrative, organizational, or procedural in nature, or 
which result in a change to process operations or equipment, provided 
that (i) there is no significant change in the types or significant 
increase in the amounts of any effluents that may be released offsite, 
(ii) there is no significant increase in individual or cumulative 
occupational radiation exposure, (iii) there is no significant 
construction impact, and (iv) there is no significant increase in the 
potential for or consequences from radiological accidents. As explained 
in the SER, the NRC determined that the license amendment satisfied the 
10 CFR 51.22(c)(11) categorical exclusion criteria. Consequently, an 
environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact are not 
required.
    Upon completing its review, the NRC staff determined that the 
request complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic 
Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), as well as the NRC's rules 
and regulations. The Commission has made appropriate

[[Page 18681]]

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. The NRC approved and issued Amendment No. 12 to Special 
Nuclear Materials License No. SNM-2506 (ML24008A130), held by NSPM for 
the receipt, possession, transfer, and storage of spent fuel and 
associated radioactive materials at the PI ISFSI. Pursuant to 10 CFR 
72.46(d), the NRC is providing notice of the action taken. Amendment 
No. 12 was effective as of the date of issuance, March 5, 2024.

    Dated: March 11, 2024.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Yoira K. Diaz-Sanabria,
Chief, Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel 
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2024-05409 Filed 3-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P