Vogtle Electric Generating Station, Units 3 and 4; Southern Nuclear Operating Company; Change to the Bracing Design in the Turbine Building and Corresponding Change to Structural Design Code, 45990-45992 [2013-18249]
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45990
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 146 / Tuesday, July 30, 2013 / Notices
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the licensee requested from the
Commission an exemption from the
provisions of 10 CFR part 52, Appendix
D, Section III.B, as part of license
amendment request 12–012R, ‘‘Changes
to the Primary Sampling System’’ (LAR
12–012R).
For the reasons set forth in Section
3.1, ‘‘Evaluation of Exemption,’’ of the
NRC staff’s Safety Evaluation, which
can be found in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML13150A088, the
Commission finds that:
A. The exemption is authorized by
law;
B. the exemption presents no undue
risk to public health and safety;
C. the exemption is consistent with
the common defense and security;
D. special circumstances are present
in that the application of the rule in this
circumstance is not necessary to serve
the underlying purpose of the rule;
E. the special circumstances outweigh
any decrease in safety that may result
from the reduction in standardization
caused by the exemption; and
F. the exemption will not result in a
significant decrease in the level of safety
otherwise provided by the design.
2. Accordingly, the licensee is granted
an exemption to the provisions of 10
CFR part 52, Appendix D, Section III.B,
to allow deviations from the certified
Design Control Document Tier 1 Section
2.3.13, Tables 2.2.1–2, 2.3.13–1, and
2.3.13–3, and Figures 2.2.1–1 and
2.3.13–1, as described in the licensee’s
request dated December 7, 2012, and as
supplemented on January 25, 2013, and
March 29, 2013. This exemption is
related to, and necessary for the granting
of License Amendment No. 10, which is
being issued concurrently with this
exemption.
3. As explained in Section 3.1,
‘‘Evaluation of Exemption,’’ of the NRC
staff’s Safety Evaluation (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13150A088), this
exemption meets the eligibility criteria
for categorical exclusion set forth in 10
CFR 51.22(c)(9). Therefore, pursuant to
10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental
impact statement or environmental
assessment needs to be prepared in
connection with the issuance of the
exemption.
4. This exemption is effective as of
June 19, 2013.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated December 7, 2012, the
licensee requested that the NRC amend
the COLs for VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs
NPF–91 and NPF–92. The licensee
supplemented this application on
January 25, 2013, and March 29, 2013.
The proposed amendment would depart
from Tier 2 Material previously
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:32 Jul 29, 2013
Jkt 229001
incorporated into the UFSAR.
Additionally, these Tier 2 changes
involve changes to Tier 1 Information in
the UFSAR, and the proposed
amendment would also revise the
associated material that has been
included in Appendix C of each of the
VEGP, Units 3 and 4 COLs. The
requested amendment will revise the
Tier 2 UFSAR information pertaining to
the PSS air return valve, and various
Tier 2 tables and sections regarding the
PSS design. These Tier 2 changes
require modifications to particular Tier
1 information located in Tables 2.2.1–2,
2.3.13–1, and 2.3.13–3, Figures 2.2.1–1
‘‘Containment System’’ and 2.3.13–1
‘‘Primary Sampling System,’’ and
Subsection 2.3.13, ‘‘Primary Sampling
System’’ of the UFSAR, as well as the
corresponding information in Appendix
C. These changes were necessary as part
of a design modification which changes
the type of valve used as the air return
check valve from a check valve to a
SOV; redesigns the PSS insidecontainment header; and adds a PSS
containment penetration.
The Commission has determined for
these amendments that the application
complies with the standards and
requirements of the Atomic Energy Act
of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the
Commission’s rules and regulations.
The Commission has made appropriate
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.
A notice of consideration of issuance
of amendment to facility operating
license or combined license, as
applicable, proposed no significant
hazards consideration determination,
and opportunity for a hearing in
connection with these actions, was
published in the Federal Register on
February 19, 2013 (78 FR 11693). The
January 25, 2013 supplement revised
the original no significant hazards
consideration determination, but this
revision was captured in the February
19, 2013 Federal Register Notice. The
March 29, 2013 supplement had no
effect on the no significant hazards
consideration determination, and no
comments were received during the 60day comment period.
The Commission has determined that
these amendments satisfy the criteria for
categorical exclusion in accordance
with 10 CFR 51.22. Therefore, pursuant
to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental
impact statement or environmental
assessment need be prepared for these
amendments.
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IV. Conclusion
Using the reasons set forth in the
combined safety evaluation, the staff
granted the exemption and issued the
amendment that the licensee requested
on December 7, 2012, and
supplemented by letters dated January
25, 2013, and March 29, 2013. The
exemption and amendment were issued
on June 19, 2013 as part of a combined
package to the licensee. (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13150A052).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day
of July 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence Burkhart,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New
Reactor Licensing, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2013–18247 Filed 7–29–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 52–025 and 52–026; NRC–
2008–0252]
Vogtle Electric Generating Station,
Units 3 and 4; Southern Nuclear
Operating Company; Change to the
Bracing Design in the Turbine Building
and Corresponding Change to
Structural Design Code
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Exemption and combined
license amendment: Issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is granting both an
exemption to allow a departure from the
certification information of Tier 1 of the
generic design control document (DCD)
and is issuing License Amendment No.
8 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF–91
and NPF–92. The COLs were issued to
Southern Nuclear Operating Company,
Inc., and Georgia Power Company,
Oglethorpe Power Corporation,
Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia,
and the City of Dalton, Georgia (the
licensee); for construction and operation
of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
(VEGP), Units 3 and 4, located in Burke
County, Georgia. The amendment
requests to revise the design of the
bracing used to support the Turbine
Building structure. This request requires
changing Tier 1 information found in
the Design Description portion of
Updated Final Safety Analysis Report
(UFSAR) Section 3.3, ‘‘Buildings.’’ The
granting of the exemption allows the
changes to Tier 1 information asked for
in the amendment. Because the
acceptability of the exemption was
determined in part by the acceptability
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 146 / Tuesday, July 30, 2013 / Notices
pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
of the amendment, the exemption and
amendment are being issued
concurrently.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2008–0252 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may access information related to
this document, which the NRC
possesses and is publicly available,
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2008–0252. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–287–3422;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. 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 access publicly
available documents online in the NRC
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html. To begin the search,
select ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and
then 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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
ADAMS accession number for each
document referenced in this document
(if that document is available in
ADAMS) is provided the first time that
a document is referenced. The request
for the amendment and exemption were
submitted by letter dated February 8,
2013 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML13043A075). The licensee
supplemented this request on February
15, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML13050A201).
• NRC’s PDR: You may examine and
purchase copies of public documents at
the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Anthony Minarik, Office of New
Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001; telephone: 301–415–6185; email:
Anthony.Minarik@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is granting an exemption
from Paragraph B of Section III, ‘‘Scope
and Contents,’’ of Appendix D, ‘‘Design
Certification Rule for the AP1000,’’ to
part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) and issuing
License Amendment No. 8 to COLs,
NPF–91 and NPF–92, to the licensee.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:32 Jul 29, 2013
Jkt 229001
The exemption is required by Paragraph
A.4 of Section VIII, ‘‘Processes for
Changes and Departures,’’ Appendix D
to 10 CFR part 52 to allow the licensee
to depart from Tier 1 information. With
the requested amendment, the licensee
sought to revise UFSAR information
related to the design of the bracing used
to support the non-seismic portion of
the Turbine Building. As part of this
request, the licensee needed to change
Tier 1 information located in the
‘‘Design Description’’ portion of Section
3.3, ‘‘Buildings’’ of the UFSAR. These
changes sought to allow the licensee to
use a mixed bracing system of both
eccentrically and concentrically braced
framing versus only eccentrically braced
framing in the Turbine Building.
Part of the justification for granting
the exemption was provided by the
review of the amendment. Because the
exemption is necessary in order to issue
the requested license amendment, the
NRC granted the exemption and issued
the amendment concurrently, rather
than in sequence. This included issuing
a combined safety evaluation containing
the NRC staff’s review of both the
exemption request and the license
amendment. The exemption met all
applicable regulatory criteria set forth in
10 CFR 50.12, 10 CFR 52.7, and Section
VIII.A.4. of Appendix D to 10 CFR Part
52. The license amendment was found
to be acceptable as well. The combined
safety evaluation is available in ADAMS
under Accession No. ML13121A421.
Identical exemption documents
(except for referenced unit numbers and
license numbers) were issued to the
licensee for Vogtle Units 3 and 4 (COLs
NPF–91 and NPF–92). These documents
can be found in ADAMS under
Accession Nos. ML13121A376 and
ML13121A385. The exemption is
reproduced (with the exception of
abbreviated titles and additional
citations) in Section II of this document.
The amendment documents for COLs
NPF–91 and NPF–92 are available in
ADAMS under Accession Nos.
ML13121A392 and ML13121A397. A
summary of the amendment documents
is provided in Section III of this
document.
II. Exemption
Reproduced below is the exemption
document issued to Vogtle Unit 3 and
Unit 4. It makes reference to the
combined safety evaluation that
provides the reasoning for the findings
made by the NRC (and listed under Item
1) in order to grant the exemption:
1. In a letter dated February 8, 2013,
and as supplemented by letter dated
February 15, 2013, the licensee
requested from the Commission an
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45991
exemption from the provisions of 10
CFR Part 52, Appendix D, Section III.B,
as part of license amendment request
13–005 ‘‘Turbine Building Eccentric and
Concentric Bracing’’ (LAR 13–005).
For the reasons set forth in Section
3.1, ‘‘Evaluation of Exemption,’’ of the
NRC staff’s Safety Evaluation, which
can be found in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML13121A421, the
Commission finds that:
A. The exemption is authorized by
law;
B. the exemption presents no undue
risk to public health and safety;
C. the exemption is consistent with
the common defense and security;
D. special circumstances are present
in that the application of the rule in this
circumstance is not necessary to serve
the underlying purpose of the rule;
E. the special circumstances outweigh
any decrease in safety that may result
from the reduction in standardization
caused by the exemption; and
F. the exemption will not result in a
significant decrease in the level of safety
otherwise provided by the design.
2. Accordingly, the licensee is granted
an exemption to the provisions of 10
CFR part 52, Appendix D, Section III.B,
to allow deviations from the certified
Design Control Document Tier 1 Section
3.3, as described in the licensee’s
request dated February 8, 2013, and
supplemented on February 15, 2013.
This exemption is related to, and
necessary for the granting of License
Amendment No. 8, which is being
issued concurrently with this
exemption.
3. As explained in Section 3.1,
‘‘Evaluation of Exemption,’’ of the NRC
staff’s Safety Evaluation (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13121A421), this
exemption meets the eligibility criteria
for categorical exclusion set forth in 10
CFR 51.22(c)(9). Therefore, pursuant to
10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental
impact statement or environmental
assessment needs to be prepared in
connection with the issuance of the
exemption.
4. This exemption is effective as of
May 21, 2013.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated February 8, 2013, the
licensee requested that the NRC amend
the COLs for VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs
NPF–91 and NPF–92. The licensee
supplemented this application on
February 15, 2013. The licensee sought
to change Tier 2 information previously
incorporated into the UFSAR.
Additionally, these Tier 2 changes
involved changes to Tier 1 material in
the UFSAR, and would revise the
associated material that has been
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45992
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 146 / Tuesday, July 30, 2013 / Notices
included in Appendix C of each of the
VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs. The Tier 2
changes modified sections of the
UFSAR related to the design
information and code requirements
regarding the supports used in the
Turbine Building. These Tier 2 changes
require modifications to particular Tier
1 information located in the ‘‘Design
Description’’ portion of Section 3.3
‘‘Buildings’’ of the UFSAR. In this
section the licensee sought to revise the
original design of only using
eccentrically braced framing in the nonseismic portion of the Turbine Building.
Instead the licensee plans to use a
mixed bracing system consisting of both
eccentrically and concentrically braced
framing. The staff determined that these
changes did not alter any relevant
conclusions made for the AP1000
standard design.
The Commission has determined for
these amendments that the application
complies with the standards and
requirements of the Atomic Energy Act
of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the
Commission’s rules and regulations.
The Commission has made appropriate
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.
A notice of consideration of issuance
of amendment to facility operating
license or combined license, as
applicable, proposed no significant
hazards consideration determination,
and opportunity for a hearing in
connection with these actions, was
published in the Federal Register on
March 4, 2013 (78 FR 14137). The
February 15, 2013, supplement revised
the original no significant hazards
consideration determination, but this
revision was captured in the March 4,
2013 Federal Register Notice. No other
supplements were received after the
acceptance was noticed so the
published no significant hazards
consideration determination was not
affected and no comments were
received during the 60-day comment
period.
The Commission has determined that
these amendments satisfy the criteria for
categorical exclusion in accordance
with 10 CFR 51.22. Therefore, pursuant
to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental
impact statement or environmental
assessment need be prepared for these
amendments.
IV. Conclusion
Using the reasons set forth in the
combined safety evaluation, the staff
granted the exemption and issued the
amendment that the licensee requested
on February 8, 2013, and supplemented
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:32 Jul 29, 2013
Jkt 229001
by letter dated February 15, 2013. The
exemption and amendment were issued
on May 21, 2013 as part of a combined
package to the licensee. (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13121A359).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day
of July 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence Burkhart,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New
Reactor Licensing, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2013–18249 Filed 7–29–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
Sunshine Act Meetings
AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETINGS: Nuclear
Regulatory Commission [NRC–2013–
0001]
DATES: Weeks of July 29, August 5, 12,
19, 26, September 2, 2013.
PLACE: Commissioners’ Conference
Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland.
STATUS: Public and Closed.
Week of July 29, 2013
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of July 29, 2013.
Contact person for more information:
Rochelle Bavol, 301–415–1651.
*
*
*
*
*
The NRC Commission Meeting
Schedule can be found on the Internet
at: https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/
public-meetings/schedule.html.
*
*
*
*
*
The NRC provides reasonable
accommodation to individuals with
disabilities where appropriate. If you
need a reasonable accommodation to
participate in these public meetings, or
need this meeting notice or the
transcript or other information from the
public meetings in another format (e.g.
braille, large print), please notify
Kimberly Meyer, NRC Disability
Program Manager, at 301–287–0727, or
by email at kimberly.meyerchambers@nrc.gov. Determinations on
requests for reasonable accommodation
will be made on a case-by-case basis.
*
*
*
*
*
This notice is distributed
electronically to subscribers. If you no
longer wish to receive it, or would like
to be added to the distribution, please
contact the Office of the Secretary,
Washington, DC 20555 (301–415–1969),
or send an email to
darlene.wright@nrc.gov.
Week of August 5, 2013—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of August 5, 2013.
Dated: July 25, 2013.
Rochelle C. Bavol,
Policy Coordinator, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013–18368 Filed 7–26–13; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
Week of August 12, 2013—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of August 12, 2013.
Week of August 19, 2013—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of August 19, 2013.
Week of August 26, 2013—Tentative
Tuesday, August 27, 2013—
9:00 a.m. Briefing on NRC’s
Construction Activities (Public
Meeting) (Contact: Michelle Hayes,
301–415–8375).
This meeting will be webcast live at
the Web address—https://www.nrc.gov.
3:00 p.m. Briefing on NRC
International Activities (Closed –
Ex. 1 & 9) (Contact: Karen
Henderson, 301–415–0202).
Week of September 2, 2013—Tentative
There are no meetings scheduled for
the week of September 2, 2013.
*
*
*
*
*
*The schedule for Commission
meetings is subject to change on short
notice. To verify the status of meetings,
call (recording)—301–415–1292.
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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
National Science and Technology
Council; Notice of Meeting: Open
Meeting of the National Science and
Technology Council; Committee on
Technology; Nanoscale Science,
Engineering, and Technology
Subcommittee National
Nanotechnology Coordination Office
ACTION:
Notice of public meeting.
The National Nanotechnology
Coordination Office (NNCO), on behalf
of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering,
and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee
of the Committee on Technology,
National Science and Technology
Council (NSTC), will hold a workshop
on September 10–11, 2013, to engage
stakeholders in discussion of
perspectives on the perception,
assessment, and management of the
potential risks of nanotechnology.
Representatives of the U.S. research
community, industry, non-governmental
organizations, and interested members
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 146 (Tuesday, July 30, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45990-45992]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18249]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 52-025 and 52-026; NRC-2008-0252]
Vogtle Electric Generating Station, Units 3 and 4; Southern
Nuclear Operating Company; Change to the Bracing Design in the Turbine
Building and Corresponding Change to Structural Design Code
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Exemption and combined license amendment: Issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting both
an exemption to allow a departure from the certification information of
Tier 1 of the generic design control document (DCD) and is issuing
License Amendment No. 8 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 and NPF-92.
The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., and
Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Municipal Electric
Authority of Georgia, and the City of Dalton, Georgia (the licensee);
for construction and operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
(VEGP), Units 3 and 4, located in Burke County, Georgia. The amendment
requests to revise the design of the bracing used to support the
Turbine Building structure. This request requires changing Tier 1
information found in the Design Description portion of Updated Final
Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) Section 3.3, ``Buildings.'' The granting
of the exemption allows the changes to Tier 1 information asked for in
the amendment. Because the acceptability of the exemption was
determined in part by the acceptability
[[Page 45991]]
of the amendment, the exemption and amendment are being issued
concurrently.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2008-0252 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may access information related to this document, which the NRC
possesses and is publicly available, using any of the following
methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2008-0252. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. 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 access publicly available documents online in the NRC
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then 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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number
for each document referenced in this document (if that document is
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is
referenced. The request for the amendment and exemption were submitted
by letter dated February 8, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13043A075). The
licensee supplemented this request on February 15, 2013 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML13050A201).
NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Minarik, Office of New
Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-415-6185; email: Anthony.Minarik@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is granting an exemption from Paragraph B of Section III,
``Scope and Contents,'' of Appendix D, ``Design Certification Rule for
the AP1000,'' to part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR) and issuing License Amendment No. 8 to COLs, NPF-91 and NPF-
92, to the licensee. The exemption is required by Paragraph A.4 of
Section VIII, ``Processes for Changes and Departures,'' Appendix D to
10 CFR part 52 to allow the licensee to depart from Tier 1 information.
With the requested amendment, the licensee sought to revise UFSAR
information related to the design of the bracing used to support the
non-seismic portion of the Turbine Building. As part of this request,
the licensee needed to change Tier 1 information located in the
``Design Description'' portion of Section 3.3, ``Buildings'' of the
UFSAR. These changes sought to allow the licensee to use a mixed
bracing system of both eccentrically and concentrically braced framing
versus only eccentrically braced framing in the Turbine Building.
Part of the justification for granting the exemption was provided
by the review of the amendment. Because the exemption is necessary in
order to issue the requested license amendment, the NRC granted the
exemption and issued the amendment concurrently, rather than in
sequence. This included issuing a combined safety evaluation containing
the NRC staff's review of both the exemption request and the license
amendment. The exemption met all applicable regulatory criteria set
forth in 10 CFR 50.12, 10 CFR 52.7, and Section VIII.A.4. of Appendix D
to 10 CFR Part 52. The license amendment was found to be acceptable as
well. The combined safety evaluation is available in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML13121A421.
Identical exemption documents (except for referenced unit numbers
and license numbers) were issued to the licensee for Vogtle Units 3 and
4 (COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92). These documents can be found in ADAMS under
Accession Nos. ML13121A376 and ML13121A385. The exemption is reproduced
(with the exception of abbreviated titles and additional citations) in
Section II of this document. The amendment documents for COLs NPF-91
and NPF-92 are available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML13121A392 and
ML13121A397. A summary of the amendment documents is provided in
Section III of this document.
II. Exemption
Reproduced below is the exemption document issued to Vogtle Unit 3
and Unit 4. It makes reference to the combined safety evaluation that
provides the reasoning for the findings made by the NRC (and listed
under Item 1) in order to grant the exemption:
1. In a letter dated February 8, 2013, and as supplemented by
letter dated February 15, 2013, the licensee requested from the
Commission an exemption from the provisions of 10 CFR Part 52, Appendix
D, Section III.B, as part of license amendment request 13-005 ``Turbine
Building Eccentric and Concentric Bracing'' (LAR 13-005).
For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1, ``Evaluation of
Exemption,'' of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation, which can be found
in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13121A421, the Commission finds that:
A. The exemption is authorized by law;
B. the exemption presents no undue risk to public health and
safety;
C. the exemption is consistent with the common defense and
security;
D. special circumstances are present in that the application of the
rule in this circumstance is not necessary to serve the underlying
purpose of the rule;
E. the special circumstances outweigh any decrease in safety that
may result from the reduction in standardization caused by the
exemption; and
F. the exemption will not result in a significant decrease in the
level of safety otherwise provided by the design.
2. Accordingly, the licensee is granted an exemption to the
provisions of 10 CFR part 52, Appendix D, Section III.B, to allow
deviations from the certified Design Control Document Tier 1 Section
3.3, as described in the licensee's request dated February 8, 2013, and
supplemented on February 15, 2013. This exemption is related to, and
necessary for the granting of License Amendment No. 8, which is being
issued concurrently with this exemption.
3. As explained in Section 3.1, ``Evaluation of Exemption,'' of the
NRC staff's Safety Evaluation (ADAMS Accession No. ML13121A421), this
exemption meets the eligibility criteria for categorical exclusion set
forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(9). Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no
environmental impact statement or environmental assessment needs to be
prepared in connection with the issuance of the exemption.
4. This exemption is effective as of May 21, 2013.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated February 8, 2013, the licensee requested that the
NRC amend the COLs for VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92. The
licensee supplemented this application on February 15, 2013. The
licensee sought to change Tier 2 information previously incorporated
into the UFSAR. Additionally, these Tier 2 changes involved changes to
Tier 1 material in the UFSAR, and would revise the associated material
that has been
[[Page 45992]]
included in Appendix C of each of the VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs. The
Tier 2 changes modified sections of the UFSAR related to the design
information and code requirements regarding the supports used in the
Turbine Building. These Tier 2 changes require modifications to
particular Tier 1 information located in the ``Design Description''
portion of Section 3.3 ``Buildings'' of the UFSAR. In this section the
licensee sought to revise the original design of only using
eccentrically braced framing in the non-seismic portion of the Turbine
Building. Instead the licensee plans to use a mixed bracing system
consisting of both eccentrically and concentrically braced framing. The
staff determined that these changes did not alter any relevant
conclusions made for the AP1000 standard design.
The Commission has determined for these amendments that the
application complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules
and regulations. The Commission has made appropriate 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.
A notice of consideration of issuance of amendment to facility
operating license or combined license, as applicable, proposed no
significant hazards consideration determination, and opportunity for a
hearing in connection with these actions, was published in the Federal
Register on March 4, 2013 (78 FR 14137). The February 15, 2013,
supplement revised the original no significant hazards consideration
determination, but this revision was captured in the March 4, 2013
Federal Register Notice. No other supplements were received after the
acceptance was noticed so the published no significant hazards
consideration determination was not affected and no comments were
received during the 60-day comment period.
The Commission has determined that these amendments satisfy the
criteria for categorical exclusion in accordance with 10 CFR 51.22.
Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental impact
statement or environmental assessment need be prepared for these
amendments.
IV. Conclusion
Using the reasons set forth in the combined safety evaluation, the
staff granted the exemption and issued the amendment that the licensee
requested on February 8, 2013, and supplemented by letter dated
February 15, 2013. The exemption and amendment were issued on May 21,
2013 as part of a combined package to the licensee. (ADAMS Accession
No. ML13121A359).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of July 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence Burkhart,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, Office of
New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2013-18249 Filed 7-29-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
