Duke Power Company LLC, et al.; Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses, Proposed No Significant Hazards Consideration Determination, and Opportunity for a Hearing, 10302-10305 [E8-3588]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 38 / Tuesday, February 26, 2008 / Notices
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action which is currently delineated in
administrative control TS 5.7.1. TS
Section 1.3, Limiting Safety System
Settings, was relocated to the currently
unused TS Section 2.13 to be more
consistent with the content of the CE
STS (i.e., the LSSS will be located in the
Limiting Conditions for Operation
(LCO) section of the FCS TS which is
similar to the LCO/Surveillance
Requirements Section 3.0 of the STS).
As noted above, the administrative
control in TS 5.7.1, Safety Limit
Violation, is relocated. Also,
administrative control TS 5.9.5, Core
Operating Limits Report (COLR),
item a., is revised to add TS 2.13, RPS
Limiting Safety System Settings, Table
2–11, Items 6, 8, and 9, to the list of
items that shall be documented in the
COLR. The TS Table of Contents (TOC)
is also updated to reflect the deletion
and subsequent renumbering of Section
1.3 and Table 1–1 to TS 2.13 and Table
2–11, respectively. The TOC is also
updated to delineate the new TS
subsections 1.1.1 and 1.1.2, provide the
revised titles for TS 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and
2.13, and to reflect TS 5.7.1 as ‘‘Not
used.’’
Date of issuance: February 4, 2008.
Effective date: As of its date of
issuance and prior to startup from the
2008 refueling outage.
Amendment No.: 252.
Renewed Facility Operating License
No. DPR–40: The amendment revised
the Technical Specifications.
Date of initial notice in Federal
Register: November 6, 2007 (72 FR
62690). The Commission’s related
evaluation of the amendment is
contained in a safety evaluation dated
February 4, 2008.
No significant hazards consideration
comments received: No.
PPL Susquehanna, LLC, Docket No. 50–
387 and 50–388, Susquehanna Steam
Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 (SSES 1
and 2), Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Date of application for amendments:
October 11, 2007, as supplemented on
October 25, December 4 and 26, 2006,
February 13, March 14 and 22, April 13,
17, 23, 26, and 27, May 3, 9, 14, and 21,
June 1, 4, 8, 14, 20, and 27, July 6, 12,
13, 30, and 31, August 3, 13, 15, and 28,
September 19, October 5, November 30,
December 10, 2007, and January 9, 24,
and 29, 2008.
Brief description of amendments: The
amendments increase the SSES 1 and 2
licensed thermal power to 3952 Megawatts thermal (MWt), which is 20%
above the original rated thermal power
(RTP) of 3293 MWt, and approximately
13% above the current RTP of 3489
MWt. The amendments revise the SSES
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1 and 2 Operating License and
Technical Specifications necessary to
implement the increased power level.
Date of issuance: January 30, 2008.
Effective date: As of the date of
issuance and to be implemented in
accordance with the issued License
Conditions.
Amendment Nos.: 246 and 224.
Facility Operating License Nos.
NPF–14 and NPF–22: The amendments
revised the License and Technical
Specifications.
Date of initial notice in Federal
Register: March 13, 2007 (72 FR
11392). The supplements dated October
25, December 4 and 26, 2006, February
13, March 14 and 22, April 13, 17, 23,
26, and 27, May 3, 9, 14, and 21, June
1, 4, 8, 14, 20, and 27, July 6, 12, 13,
30, and 31, August 3, 13, 15, and 28,
September 19, October 5, November 30,
December 10, 2007, and January 9, 24,
and 29, 2008, provided additional
information that clarified the
application, did not expand the scope of
the application as originally noticed,
and did not change the staff’s original
proposed no significant hazards
consideration determination.
The Commission’s related evaluation
of the amendments is contained in a
Safety Evaluation dated January 30,
2008.
No significant hazards consideration
comments received: No.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day
of February 2008.
For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Catherine Haney,
Director, Division of Operating Reactor
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. E8–3481 Filed 2–25–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50–413, 50–414, 50–369 and
50–370]
Duke Power Company LLC, et al.;
Notice of Consideration of Issuance of
Amendments to Facility Operating
Licenses, Proposed No Significant
Hazards Consideration Determination,
and Opportunity for a Hearing
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (the Commission) is
considering issuance of an amendment
to Facility Operating License Nos. NPF–
35 and NPF–52 issued to Duke Power
Company LLC, et al., for operation of
the Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1
and 2, located in York County, South
Carolina, and Facility Operating License
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Nos. NPF–9 and NPF–17 for operation
of the McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1
and 2, located in Mecklenburg County,
North Carolina.
The proposed amendment would
revise the Catawba Nuclear Station,
Units 1 and 2, and the McGuire Nuclear
Station, Units 1 and 2, Updated Final
Safety Analysis Reports by requiring an
inspection of each ice condenser within
24 hours of experiencing a seismic event
greater than or equal to an operating
basis earthquake within the five (5)
week period after ice basket
replenishment has been completed to
confirm that adverse ice fallout has not
occurred.
Before issuance of the proposed
license amendment, the Commission
will have made findings required by the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended
(the Act), and the Commission’s
regulations.
The Commission has made a
proposed determination that the
amendment request involves no
significant hazards consideration. Under
the Commission’s regulations in Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), Section 50.92, this means that
operation of the facility in accordance
with the proposed amendment would
not (1) involve a significant increase in
the probability or consequences of an
accident previously evaluated; or (2)
create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any
accident previously evaluated; or (3)
involve a significant reduction in a
margin of safety. As required by 10 CFR
50.91(a), the licensee has provided its
analysis of the issue of no significant
hazards consideration, which is
presented below:
A. Does the proposed amendment involve
a significant increase in the probability or
consequences of an accident previously
evaluated?
Response: No.
The analyzed accidents of consideration in
regard to changes potentially affecting the ice
condenser are a loss of coolant accident and
a steam or feedwater line break inside
Containment. The ice condenser is an
accident mitigator and is not postulated as
being the initiator of a LOCA [loss-coolantaccident] or HELB [high-energy line break].
The ice condenser is structurally designed to
withstand a Safe Shutdown Earthquake plus
a Design Basis Accident and does not
interconnect or interact with any systems
that interconnect or interact with the Reactor
Coolant, Main Steam or Feedwater systems.
Because the proposed changes do not result
in, or require any physical change to the ice
condenser that could introduce an
interaction with the Reactor Coolant, Main
Steam or Feedwater systems, there can be no
change in the probability of an accident
previously evaluated.
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Under the current licensing basis, the ice
condenser ice baskets would be considered
fully fused prior to power ascension and the
ice condenser would perform its accident
mitigation function even if a safe shutdown
seismic event occurred coincident with or
just preceding the accident. Under the
proposed change, there is some finite
probability that, within 24 hours following a
seismic disturbance, a LOCA or HELB in
Containment could occur within five weeks
of the completion of ice basket
replenishment. However, several factors
provide defense-in-depth and tend to
mitigate the potential consequences of the
proposed change.
Design basis accidents are not assumed to
occur simultaneously with a seismic event.
Therefore, the coincident occurrence of a
LOCA or HELB with a seismic event is
strictly a function of the combined
probability of the occurrence of independent
events, which in this case is very low. Based
on the Probabilistic Risk Assessment model
and seismic hazard analysis, the combined
probability of occurrence of a seismic
disturbance greater than or equal to an OBE
during the 5 week period following ice
replenishment coincident with or
subsequently followed by a LOCA or HELB
during the time required to perform the
proposed inspection (24 hours) and if
required by Technical Specifications,
complete Unit shutdown (37 hours), is less
than 2.2E–09 for McGuire and Catawba. This
probability is well below the threshold that
is typically considered credible.
Even if ice were to fall from ice baskets
during a seismic event occurring coincident
with or subsequently followed by an
accident, the ice condenser would be
expected to perform its intended safety
function. The design of the lower inlet doors
is such that complete blockage of flow into
the ice condenser is not credible during a
LOCA or HELB. The inherent redundancy of
flow paths into the ice condenser provide
reasonable assurance that it would perform
its function even if some lower inlet doors
were blocked closed.
Based on the above, the proposed changes
do not involve a significant increase in the
probability or consequences of an accident
previously evaluated. The ice condenser is
expected to perform its intended safety
function under all circumstances following a
LOCA or HELB in Containment.
B. Does the proposed amendment create
the possibility of a new or different kind of
accident from any accident previously
evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed change affects the assumed
timing of a postulated seismic and design
basis accident applied to the ice condenser
and provides an alternate methodology to
confirm the ice condenser lower inlet doors
are capable of opening. As previously
discussed, the ice condenser is not
postulated as an initiator of any design basis
accident. The proposed change does not
impact any plant system, structure or
component that is an accident initiator. The
proposed change does not involve any
hardware changes to the ice condenser or
other changes that could create new accident
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mechanisms. Therefore, there can be no new
or different accidents created from those
previously identified and evaluated.
C. Does the proposed amendment involve
a significant reduction in the margin of
safety?
Response: No.
Margin of safety is related to the
confidence in the ability of the fission
product barriers to perform their design
functions during and following an accident
situation. These barriers include the fuel
cladding, the Reactor Coolant system, and the
Containment system. The performance of the
fuel cladding and the Reactor Coolant system
will not be impacted by the proposed change.
The requirement to inspect the ice
condensers within 24 hours of experiencing
seismic activity greater than or equal to an
OBE during the five (5) week period
following the completion of ice basket
replenishment will confirm that the ice
condenser lower inlet doors are capable of
opening. This inspection will confirm that
the ice condenser doors remain fully capable
of performing their intended safety function
under credible circumstances.
The inherent redundancy of flow paths
into the ice condenser provides reasonable
assurance that it would perform its function
even if some lower inlet doors were blocked
closed. As such, the ice condenser has
reasonable assurance of performing its
intended function during the highly unlikely
scenario in which a postulated accident
(LOCA or HELB) occurs coincident with or
subsequently following a seismic event.
The proposed change affects the assumed
timing of a postulated seismic and design
basis accident applied to the ice condenser
and provides an alternate methodology in
confirming the ice condenser lower inlet
doors are capable of opening. As previously
discussed, the combined probability of
occurrence of a LOCA or HELB and a seismic
disturbance greater than or equal to an OBE
[operating basis earthquake] during the
‘‘period of potential exposure’’ is less than
2.2E–09 for McGuire and Catawba. This
probability is well below the threshold that
is considered credible.
Therefore, the proposed change does not
involve a significant reduction in the margin
of safety. The McGuire and Catawba ice
condensers will perform their intended safety
function under credible circumstances.
The changes proposed in this LAR do not
make any physical alteration to the ice
condensers, nor does it affect the required
functional capability of the ice condenser in
any way. The intent of the proposed change
to the UFSARs is to eliminate an overly
restrictive waiting period prior to Unit ascent
to power operations following the
completion of ice basket replenishment. The
required inspection of the ice condenser
following a seismic event greater than or
equal to an OBE will confirm that the ice
condenser lower inlet doors will continue to
fully perform their safety function as
assumed in the McGuire and Catawba safety
analyses.
Thus, it can be concluded that the
proposed change does not involve a
significant reduction in the margin of safety.
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10303
The NRC staff has reviewed the
licensee’s analysis and, based on this
review, it appears that the three
standards of 10 CFR 50.92(c) are
satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff
proposes to determine that the
amendment request involves no
significant hazards consideration.
The Commission is seeking public
comments on this proposed
determination. Any comments received
within 30 days after the date of
publication of this notice will be
considered in making any final
determination.
Normally, the Commission will not
issue the amendment until the
expiration of 60 days after the date of
publication of this notice. The
Commission may issue the license
amendment before expiration of the 60day period provided that its final
determination is that the amendment
involves no significant hazards
consideration. In addition, the
Commission may issue the amendment
prior to the expiration of the 30-day
comment period should circumstances
change during the 30-day comment
period such that failure to act in a
timely way would result, for example,
in derating or shutdown of the facility.
Should the Commission take action
prior to the expiration of either the
comment period or the notice period, it
will publish in the Federal Register a
notice of issuance. Should the
Commission make a final No Significant
Hazards Consideration Determination,
any hearing will take place after
issuance. The Commission expects that
the need to take this action will occur
very infrequently.
Written comments may be submitted
by mail to the Chief, Rulemaking,
Directives and Editing Branch, Division
of Administrative Services, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001, and should cite the publication
date and page number of this Federal
Register notice. Written comments may
also be delivered to Room 6D59, Two
White Flint North, 11545 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland, from 7:30
a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Federal workdays.
Documents may be examined, and/or
copied for a fee, at the NRC’s Public
Document Room (PDR), located at One
White Flint North, Public File Area
O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first
floor), Rockville, Maryland.
The filing of requests for hearing and
petitions for leave to intervene is
discussed below.
Within 60 days after the date of
publication of this notice, the person(s)
may file a request for a hearing with
respect to issuance of the amendment to
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 38 / Tuesday, February 26, 2008 / Notices
the subject facility operating license and
any person(s) whose interest may be
affected by this proceeding and who
wishes to participate as a party in the
proceeding must file a written request
via electronic submission through the
NRC E-filing system for a hearing and a
petition for leave to intervene. Requests
for a hearing and a petition for leave to
intervene shall be filed in accordance
with the Commission’s ‘‘Rules of
Practice for Domestic Licensing
Proceedings’’ in 10 CFR Part 2.
Interested person(s) should consult a
current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, which is
available at the Commission’s PDR,
located at One White Flint North, Public
File Area O1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike
(first floor), Rockville, Maryland.
Publicly available records will be
accessible from the Agencywide
Documents Access and Management
System’s (ADAMS) Public Electronic
Reading Room on the Internet at the
NRC Web site, https://www.nrc.gov/
reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/. If a
request for a hearing or petition for
leave to intervene is filed by the above
date, the Commission or a presiding
officer designated by the Commission or
by the Chief Administrative Judge of the
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
Panel, will rule on the request and/or
petition; and the Secretary or the Chief
Administrative Judge of the Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board will issue a
notice of a hearing or an appropriate
order.
As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a
petition for leave to intervene shall set
forth with particularity the interest of
the petitioner in the proceeding, and
how that interest may be affected by the
results of the proceeding. The petition
should specifically explain the reasons
why intervention should be permitted
with particular reference to the
following general requirements: (1) The
name, address and telephone number of
the requestor or petitioner; (2) the
nature of the requestor’s/petitioner’s
right under the Act to be made a party
to the proceeding; (3) the nature and
extent of the requestor’s/petitioner’s
property, financial, or other interest in
the proceeding; and (4) the possible
effect of any decision or order which
may be entered in the proceeding on the
requestors/petitioner’s interest. The
petition must also identify the specific
contentions which the petitioner/
requestor seeks to have litigated at the
proceeding.
Each contention must consist of a
specific statement of the issue of law or
fact to be raised or controverted. In
addition, the petitioner/requestor shall
provide a brief explanation of the bases
for the contention and a concise
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statement of the alleged facts or expert
opinion which support the contention
and on which the petitioner intends to
rely in proving the contention at the
hearing. The petitioner/requestor must
also provide references to those specific
sources and documents of which the
petitioner is aware and on which the
petitioner intends to rely to establish
those facts or expert opinion. The
petition must include sufficient
information to show that a genuine
dispute exists with the applicant on a
material issue of law or fact.
Contentions shall be limited to matters
within the scope of the amendment
under consideration. The contention
must be one which, if proven, would
entitle the petitioner to relief. A
petitioner/requestor who fails to satisfy
these requirements with respect to at
least one contention will not be
permitted to participate as a party.
Those permitted to intervene become
parties to the proceeding, subject to any
limitations in the order granting leave to
intervene, and have the opportunity to
participate fully in the conduct of the
hearing.
If a hearing is requested, the
Commission will make a final
determination on the issue of no
significant hazards consideration. The
final determination will serve to decide
when the hearing is held. If the final
determination is that the amendment
request involves no significant hazards
consideration, the Commission may
issue the amendment and make it
immediately effective, notwithstanding
the request for a hearing. Any hearing
held would take place after issuance of
the amendment. If the final
determination is that the amendment
request involves a significant hazards
consideration, any hearing held would
take place before the issuance of any
amendment.
A request for hearing or a petition for
leave to intervene must be filed in
accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule,
which the NRC promulgated on August
28, 2007 (72 FR 49139). The E-Filing
process requires participants to submit
and serve documents over the internet
or in some cases to mail copies on
electronic storage media. Participants
may not submit paper copies of their
filings unless they seek a waiver in
accordance with the procedures
described below.
To comply with the procedural
requirements of E-Filing, at least five (5)
days prior to the filing deadline, the
petitioner/requestor must contact the
Office of the Secretary by e-mail at
HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV, or by
calling (301) 415–1677, to request (1) a
digital ID certificate, which allows the
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participant (or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign
documents and access the E-Submittal
server for any proceeding in which it is
participating; and/or (2) creation of an
electronic docket for the proceeding
(even in instances in which the
petitioner/requestor (or its counsel or
representative) already holds an NRCissued digital ID certificate). Each
petitioner/requestor will need to
download the Workplace Forms
ViewerTM to access the Electronic
Information Exchange (EIE), a
component of the E-Filing system.
The Workplace Forms ViewerTM is
free and is available at https://
www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/
install-viewer.html. Information about
applying for a digital ID certificate is
available on NRC’s public Web site at
https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/esubmittals/apply-certificates.html. Once
a petitioner/requestor has obtained a
digital ID certificate, had a docket
created, and downloaded the EIE
viewer, it can then submit a request for
hearing or petition for leave to
intervene. Submissions should be in
Portable Document Format (PDF) in
accordance with NRC guidance
available on the NRC public Web site at
https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/esubmittals.html. A filing is considered
complete at the time the filer submits its
documents through EIE. To be timely,
an electronic filing must be submitted to
the EIE system no later than 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time on the due date. Upon
receipt of a transmission, the E-Filing
system time-stamps the document and
sends the submitter an e-mail notice
confirming receipt of the document. The
EIE system also distributes an e-mail
notice that provides access to the
document to the NRC Office of the
General Counsel and any others who
have advised the Office of the Secretary
that they wish to participate in the
proceeding, so that the filer need not
serve the documents on those
participants separately. Therefore,
applicants and other participants (or
their counsel or representative) must
apply for and receive a digital ID
certificate before a hearing request/
petition to intervene is filed so that they
can obtain access to the document via
the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically may
seek assistance through the ‘‘Contact
Us’’ link located on the NRC Web site
at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/esubmittals.html or by calling the NRC
technical help line, which is available
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.,
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
The help line number is (800) 397–4209
or locally, (301) 415–4737. Participants
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who believe that they have a good cause
for not submitting documents
electronically must file a motion, in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with
their initial paper filing requesting
authorization to continue to submit
documents in paper format. Such filings
must be submitted by:
(1) First class mail addressed to the
Office of the Secretary of the
Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001, Attention: Rulemaking and
Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier,
express mail, or expedited delivery
service to the Office of the Secretary,
Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville, Pike, Rockville,
Maryland, 20852, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff.
Participants filing a document in this
manner are responsible for serving the
document on all other participants.
Filing is considered complete by firstclass mail as of the time of deposit in
the mail, or by courier, express mail, or
expedited delivery service upon
depositing the document with the
provider of the service.
Non-timely requests and/or petitions
and contentions will not be entertained
absent a determination by the
Commission, the presiding officer, or
the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
that the petition and/or request should
be granted and/or the contentions
should be admitted, based on a
balancing of the factors specified in 10
CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i)–(viii). To be timely,
filings must be submitted no later than
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due
date.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory
proceedings will appear in NRC’s
electronic hearing docket which is
available to the public at https://
ehd.nrc.gov/EHD_Proceeding/home.asp,
unless excluded pursuant to an order of
the Commission, an Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board, or a Presiding Officer.
Participants are requested not to include
personal privacy information, such as
social security numbers, home
addresses, or home phone numbers in
their filings. With respect to copyrighted
works, except for limited excerpts that
serve the purpose of the adjudicatory
filings and would constitute a Fair Use
application, Participants are requested
not to include copyrighted materials in
their submissions.
For further details with respect to this
license amendment application, see the
application for amendment dated
February 15, 2008, which is available
for public inspection at the
Commission’s PDR, located at One
White Flint North, File Public Area O1
F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
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Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible electronically
from the Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System’s
(ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading
Room on the Internet at the NRC Web
site, https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. Persons who do not have
access to ADAMS or who encounter
problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS, should contact the
NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone
at 1–800–397–4209, 301–415–4737, or
by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day
of February 2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John F. Stang,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II–
1, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing,
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E8–3588 Filed 2–25–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50–424 and 50–425]
Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units
1 and 2; Notice of Consideration of
Issuance of Amendments to Facility
Operating Licenses, Proposed No
Significant Hazards; Consideration
Determination, and Opportunity for a
Hearing
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (the Commission, or the
NRC) is considering issuance of an
amendment to Facility Operating
License Nos. NPF–68 and NPF–81 to
Southern Nuclear Operating Company,
Inc. (the licensee) for operation of the
Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1
and 2 (Vogtle 1 and 2), which are
located in Burke County, Georgia.
The proposed amendments in the
licensee’s application dated February
13, 2008, propose a one-time steam
generator (SG) tubing eddy current
inspection interval revision to the
Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1
and 2 (Vogtle 1 and 2) Technical
Specifications (TSs) 5.5.9, ‘‘Steam
Generator (SG) Program,’’ to incorporate
an interim alternate repair criterion
(ARC) in the provisions for SG tube
repair criteria during the Vogtle 1
inspection performed in refueling
outage 14 and subsequent operating
cycle, and during the Vogtle 2
inspection performed in refueling
outage 13 and subsequent 18-month SG
tubing eddy current inspection interval
and subsequent 36-month SG tubing
eddy current inspection interval. These
amendments request approval of an
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interim ARC that requires full-length
inspection of the tubes within the
tubesheet but does not require plugging
tubes if any axial or circumferential
cracking observed in the region greater
than 17 inches below the top of the
tubesheet (TTS) is less than a value
sufficient to permit the remaining
circumferential ligament to transmit the
limiting axial loads. These amendments
are required to preclude unnecessary
plugging while still maintaining
structural and leakage integrity. These
amendments also revise TS 5.6.10,
‘‘Steam Generator Tube Inspection
Report,’’ where three new reporting
requirements are proposed to be added
to the existing seven requirements. For
TS 5.5.9, the amendments would
replace the existing ARC in TS 5.5.9.c.1
for SG tube inspections that were
approved in Amendment Nos. 146 and
126 issued September 12, 2006, for
refueling outage 13 and the subsequent
operating cycle for Vogtle 1, and for
refueling outage 12 and the subsequent
operating cycle for Vogtle 2.
Before issuance of the proposed
license amendment, the Commission
will have made findings required by the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended
(the Act), and the Commission’s
regulations.
The Commission has made a
proposed determination that the
amendment request involves no
significant hazards consideration. Under
the Commission’s regulations in Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), Section 50.92, this means that
operation of the facility in accordance
with the proposed amendment would
not (1) involve a significant increase in
the probability or consequences of an
accident previously evaluated; or (2)
create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any
accident previously evaluated; or (3)
involve a significant reduction in a
margin of safety. As required by 10 CFR
50.91(a), the licensee has provided its
analysis of the issue of no significant
hazards consideration, which is
presented below:
(1) Does the proposed change involve a
significant increase in the probability or
consequences of an accident previously
evaluated?
Response: No.
Of the various accidents previously
evaluated, the proposed changes only affect
the steam generator tube rupture (SGTR)
event evaluation and the postulated steam
line break (SLB), locked rotor and control rod
ejection accident evaluations. Loss-of-coolant
accident (LOCA) conditions cause a
compressive axial load to act on the tube.
Therefore, since the LOCA tends to force the
tube into the tubesheet rather than pull it out,
it is not a factor in this licensing amendment
E:\FR\FM\26FEN1.SGM
26FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 38 (Tuesday, February 26, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10302-10305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3588]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-413, 50-414, 50-369 and 50-370]
Duke Power Company LLC, et al.; Notice of Consideration of
Issuance of Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses, Proposed No
Significant Hazards Consideration Determination, and Opportunity for a
Hearing
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is
considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License Nos.
NPF-35 and NPF-52 issued to Duke Power Company LLC, et al., for
operation of the Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, located in
York County, South Carolina, and Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-9
and NPF-17 for operation of the McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2,
located in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
The proposed amendment would revise the Catawba Nuclear Station,
Units 1 and 2, and the McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, Updated
Final Safety Analysis Reports by requiring an inspection of each ice
condenser within 24 hours of experiencing a seismic event greater than
or equal to an operating basis earthquake within the five (5) week
period after ice basket replenishment has been completed to confirm
that adverse ice fallout has not occurred.
Before issuance of the proposed license amendment, the Commission
will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (the Act), and the Commission's regulations.
The Commission has made a proposed determination that the amendment
request involves no significant hazards consideration. Under the
Commission's regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR), Section 50.92, this means that operation of the facility in
accordance with the proposed amendment would not (1) involve a
significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident
previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or
(3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety. As required
by 10 CFR 50.91(a), the licensee has provided its analysis of the issue
of no significant hazards consideration, which is presented below:
A. Does the proposed amendment involve a significant increase in
the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The analyzed accidents of consideration in regard to changes
potentially affecting the ice condenser are a loss of coolant
accident and a steam or feedwater line break inside Containment. The
ice condenser is an accident mitigator and is not postulated as
being the initiator of a LOCA [loss-coolant-accident] or HELB [high-
energy line break]. The ice condenser is structurally designed to
withstand a Safe Shutdown Earthquake plus a Design Basis Accident
and does not interconnect or interact with any systems that
interconnect or interact with the Reactor Coolant, Main Steam or
Feedwater systems. Because the proposed changes do not result in, or
require any physical change to the ice condenser that could
introduce an interaction with the Reactor Coolant, Main Steam or
Feedwater systems, there can be no change in the probability of an
accident previously evaluated.
[[Page 10303]]
Under the current licensing basis, the ice condenser ice baskets
would be considered fully fused prior to power ascension and the ice
condenser would perform its accident mitigation function even if a
safe shutdown seismic event occurred coincident with or just
preceding the accident. Under the proposed change, there is some
finite probability that, within 24 hours following a seismic
disturbance, a LOCA or HELB in Containment could occur within five
weeks of the completion of ice basket replenishment. However,
several factors provide defense-in-depth and tend to mitigate the
potential consequences of the proposed change.
Design basis accidents are not assumed to occur simultaneously
with a seismic event. Therefore, the coincident occurrence of a LOCA
or HELB with a seismic event is strictly a function of the combined
probability of the occurrence of independent events, which in this
case is very low. Based on the Probabilistic Risk Assessment model
and seismic hazard analysis, the combined probability of occurrence
of a seismic disturbance greater than or equal to an OBE during the
5 week period following ice replenishment coincident with or
subsequently followed by a LOCA or HELB during the time required to
perform the proposed inspection (24 hours) and if required by
Technical Specifications, complete Unit shutdown (37 hours), is less
than 2.2E-09 for McGuire and Catawba. This probability is well below
the threshold that is typically considered credible.
Even if ice were to fall from ice baskets during a seismic event
occurring coincident with or subsequently followed by an accident,
the ice condenser would be expected to perform its intended safety
function. The design of the lower inlet doors is such that complete
blockage of flow into the ice condenser is not credible during a
LOCA or HELB. The inherent redundancy of flow paths into the ice
condenser provide reasonable assurance that it would perform its
function even if some lower inlet doors were blocked closed.
Based on the above, the proposed changes do not involve a
significant increase in the probability or consequences of an
accident previously evaluated. The ice condenser is expected to
perform its intended safety function under all circumstances
following a LOCA or HELB in Containment.
B. Does the proposed amendment create the possibility of a new
or different kind of accident from any accident previously
evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed change affects the assumed timing of a postulated
seismic and design basis accident applied to the ice condenser and
provides an alternate methodology to confirm the ice condenser lower
inlet doors are capable of opening. As previously discussed, the ice
condenser is not postulated as an initiator of any design basis
accident. The proposed change does not impact any plant system,
structure or component that is an accident initiator. The proposed
change does not involve any hardware changes to the ice condenser or
other changes that could create new accident mechanisms. Therefore,
there can be no new or different accidents created from those
previously identified and evaluated.
C. Does the proposed amendment involve a significant reduction
in the margin of safety?
Response: No.
Margin of safety is related to the confidence in the ability of
the fission product barriers to perform their design functions
during and following an accident situation. These barriers include
the fuel cladding, the Reactor Coolant system, and the Containment
system. The performance of the fuel cladding and the Reactor Coolant
system will not be impacted by the proposed change.
The requirement to inspect the ice condensers within 24 hours of
experiencing seismic activity greater than or equal to an OBE during
the five (5) week period following the completion of ice basket
replenishment will confirm that the ice condenser lower inlet doors
are capable of opening. This inspection will confirm that the ice
condenser doors remain fully capable of performing their intended
safety function under credible circumstances.
The inherent redundancy of flow paths into the ice condenser
provides reasonable assurance that it would perform its function
even if some lower inlet doors were blocked closed. As such, the ice
condenser has reasonable assurance of performing its intended
function during the highly unlikely scenario in which a postulated
accident (LOCA or HELB) occurs coincident with or subsequently
following a seismic event.
The proposed change affects the assumed timing of a postulated
seismic and design basis accident applied to the ice condenser and
provides an alternate methodology in confirming the ice condenser
lower inlet doors are capable of opening. As previously discussed,
the combined probability of occurrence of a LOCA or HELB and a
seismic disturbance greater than or equal to an OBE [operating basis
earthquake] during the ``period of potential exposure'' is less than
2.2E-09 for McGuire and Catawba. This probability is well below the
threshold that is considered credible.
Therefore, the proposed change does not involve a significant
reduction in the margin of safety. The McGuire and Catawba ice
condensers will perform their intended safety function under
credible circumstances.
The changes proposed in this LAR do not make any physical
alteration to the ice condensers, nor does it affect the required
functional capability of the ice condenser in any way. The intent of
the proposed change to the UFSARs is to eliminate an overly
restrictive waiting period prior to Unit ascent to power operations
following the completion of ice basket replenishment. The required
inspection of the ice condenser following a seismic event greater
than or equal to an OBE will confirm that the ice condenser lower
inlet doors will continue to fully perform their safety function as
assumed in the McGuire and Catawba safety analyses.
Thus, it can be concluded that the proposed change does not
involve a significant reduction in the margin of safety.
The NRC staff has reviewed the licensee's analysis and, based on
this review, it appears that the three standards of 10 CFR 50.92(c) are
satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff proposes to determine that the
amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration.
The Commission is seeking public comments on this proposed
determination. Any comments received within 30 days after the date of
publication of this notice will be considered in making any final
determination.
Normally, the Commission will not issue the amendment until the
expiration of 60 days after the date of publication of this notice. The
Commission may issue the license amendment before expiration of the 60-
day period provided that its final determination is that the amendment
involves no significant hazards consideration. In addition, the
Commission may issue the amendment prior to the expiration of the 30-
day comment period should circumstances change during the 30-day
comment period such that failure to act in a timely way would result,
for example, in derating or shutdown of the facility. Should the
Commission take action prior to the expiration of either the comment
period or the notice period, it will publish in the Federal Register a
notice of issuance. Should the Commission make a final No Significant
Hazards Consideration Determination, any hearing will take place after
issuance. The Commission expects that the need to take this action will
occur very infrequently.
Written comments may be submitted by mail to the Chief, Rulemaking,
Directives and Editing Branch, Division of Administrative Services,
Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, and should cite the publication date and
page number of this Federal Register notice. Written comments may also
be delivered to Room 6D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Federal workdays.
Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area
O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland.
The filing of requests for hearing and petitions for leave to
intervene is discussed below.
Within 60 days after the date of publication of this notice, the
person(s) may file a request for a hearing with respect to issuance of
the amendment to
[[Page 10304]]
the subject facility operating license and any person(s) whose interest
may be affected by this proceeding and who wishes to participate as a
party in the proceeding must file a written request via electronic
submission through the NRC E-filing system for a hearing and a petition
for leave to intervene. Requests for a hearing and a petition for leave
to intervene shall be filed in accordance with the Commission's ``Rules
of Practice for Domestic Licensing Proceedings'' in 10 CFR Part 2.
Interested person(s) should consult a current copy of 10 CFR 2.309,
which is available at the Commission's PDR, located at One White Flint
North, Public File Area O1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible from
the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public
Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, https://
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/. If a request for a hearing
or petition for leave to intervene is filed by the above date, the
Commission or a presiding officer designated by the Commission or by
the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
Panel, will rule on the request and/or petition; and the Secretary or
the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
will issue a notice of a hearing or an appropriate order.
As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene
shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in
the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the results of
the proceeding. The petition should specifically explain the reasons
why intervention should be permitted with particular reference to the
following general requirements: (1) The name, address and telephone
number of the requestor or petitioner; (2) the nature of the
requestor's/petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to the
proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the requestor's/petitioner's
property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (4) the
possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in the
proceeding on the requestors/petitioner's interest. The petition must
also identify the specific contentions which the petitioner/requestor
seeks to have litigated at the proceeding.
Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue
of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the
petitioner/requestor shall provide a brief explanation of the bases for
the contention and a concise statement of the alleged facts or expert
opinion which support the contention and on which the petitioner
intends to rely in proving the contention at the hearing. The
petitioner/requestor must also provide references to those specific
sources and documents of which the petitioner is aware and on which the
petitioner intends to rely to establish those facts or expert opinion.
The petition must include sufficient information to show that a genuine
dispute exists with the applicant on a material issue of law or fact.
Contentions shall be limited to matters within the scope of the
amendment under consideration. The contention must be one which, if
proven, would entitle the petitioner to relief. A petitioner/requestor
who fails to satisfy these requirements with respect to at least one
contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene,
and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the
hearing.
If a hearing is requested, the Commission will make a final
determination on the issue of no significant hazards consideration. The
final determination will serve to decide when the hearing is held. If
the final determination is that the amendment request involves no
significant hazards consideration, the Commission may issue the
amendment and make it immediately effective, notwithstanding the
request for a hearing. Any hearing held would take place after issuance
of the amendment. If the final determination is that the amendment
request involves a significant hazards consideration, any hearing held
would take place before the issuance of any amendment.
A request for hearing or a petition for leave to intervene must be
filed in accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule, which the NRC
promulgated on August 28, 2007 (72 FR 49139). The E-Filing process
requires participants to submit and serve documents over the internet
or in some cases to mail copies on electronic storage media.
Participants may not submit paper copies of their filings unless they
seek a waiver in accordance with the procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least
five (5) days prior to the filing deadline, the petitioner/requestor
must contact the Office of the Secretary by e-mail at
HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV, or by calling (301) 415-1677, to request (1) a
digital ID certificate, which allows the participant (or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign documents and access the E-Submittal
server for any proceeding in which it is participating; and/or (2)
creation of an electronic docket for the proceeding (even in instances
in which the petitioner/requestor (or its counsel or representative)
already holds an NRC-issued digital ID certificate). Each petitioner/
requestor will need to download the Workplace Forms Viewer\TM\ to
access the Electronic Information Exchange (EIE), a component of the E-
Filing system.
The Workplace Forms Viewer\TM\ is free and is available at https://
www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/install-viewer.html. Information
about applying for a digital ID certificate is available on NRC's
public Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/apply-
certificates.html. Once a petitioner/requestor has obtained a digital
ID certificate, had a docket created, and downloaded the EIE viewer, it
can then submit a request for hearing or petition for leave to
intervene. Submissions should be in Portable Document Format (PDF) in
accordance with NRC guidance available on the NRC public Web site at
https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. A filing is considered
complete at the time the filer submits its documents through EIE. To be
timely, an electronic filing must be submitted to the EIE system no
later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. Upon receipt of a
transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends
the submitter an e-mail notice confirming receipt of the document. The
EIE system also distributes an e-mail notice that provides access to
the document to the NRC Office of the General Counsel and any others
who have advised the Office of the Secretary that they wish to
participate in the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the
documents on those participants separately. Therefore, applicants and
other participants (or their counsel or representative) must apply for
and receive a digital ID certificate before a hearing request/petition
to intervene is filed so that they can obtain access to the document
via the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically may seek assistance through the
``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/
site-help/e-submittals.html or by calling the NRC technical help line,
which is available between 8:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Eastern Time,
Monday through Friday. The help line number is (800) 397-4209 or
locally, (301) 415-4737. Participants
[[Page 10305]]
who believe that they have a good cause for not submitting documents
electronically must file a motion, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g),
with their initial paper filing requesting authorization to continue to
submit documents in paper format. Such filings must be submitted by:
(1) First class mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the
Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier,
express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office of the
Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville,
Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and
Adjudications Staff. Participants filing a document in this manner are
responsible for serving the document on all other participants. Filing
is considered complete by first-class mail as of the time of deposit in
the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service
upon depositing the document with the provider of the service.
Non-timely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be
entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the presiding
officer, or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the petition
and/or request should be granted and/or the contentions should be
admitted, based on a balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR
2.309(c)(1)(i)-(viii). To be timely, filings must be submitted no later
than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at
https://ehd.nrc.gov/EHD_Proceeding/home.asp, unless excluded pursuant
to an order of the Commission, an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, or
a Presiding Officer. Participants are requested not to include personal
privacy information, such as social security numbers, home addresses,
or home phone numbers in their filings. With respect to copyrighted
works, except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the
adjudicatory filings and would constitute a Fair Use application,
Participants are requested not to include copyrighted materials in
their submissions.
For further details with respect to this license amendment
application, see the application for amendment dated February 15, 2008,
which is available for public inspection at the Commission's PDR,
located at One White Flint North, File Public Area O1 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room
on the Internet at the NRC Web site, https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter
problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact
the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-
4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of February 2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John F. Stang,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-1, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E8-3588 Filed 2-25-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
