Vogtle Electric Generating Station, Units 3 and 4; Southern Nuclear Operating Company; Control Rod Drive Mechanism Motor Generator Set Field Relay Change, 12134-12136 [2016-05133]

Download as PDF 12134 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 45 / Tuesday, March 8, 2016 / Notices under the provisions of this act shall be deposited with the State treasurer in a separate account for reclamation purposes.’’ Under Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) financial assurance requirements, WDEQ holds permit bonds in a fiduciary fund called an agency fund. If a bond is forfeited, the forfeited funds are moved to a special revenue account. Although the Wyoming special revenue account is not an STA, the special revenue account serves a similar purpose in that forfeited funds are not deposited into the State treasury for general fund use but instead are set aside in the special revenue account to be used exclusively for reclamation (i.e., decommissioning purposes). The NRC has the discretion, under 10 CFR 40.14(a), to grant an exemption from the requirements of a regulation in 10 CFR part 40 upon request or on its own initiative, if the NRC determines the exemption is authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security and is otherwise in the public interest. The NRC is issuing an exemption to Cameco from the STA requirements in 10 CFR part 40, appendix A, Criterion 9, for the current surety arrangement until March 26, 2017, for Ruth, September 30, 2017, for Smith Ranch-Highland, and November 7, 2017, for Gas Hills to allow the NRC an opportunity to evaluate whether the State of Wyoming’s separate account requirements for financial assurance instruments it holds is consistent with the NRC’s STA requirements. III. Discussion A. The Exemption Is Authorized by Law The proposed exemption is authorized by law as 10 CFR 40.14(a) expressly allows for an exemption to the requirements in 10 CFR part 40, Appendix A, Criterion 9, and the proposed exemption would not be contrary to any provision of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES B. The Exemption Presents No Undue Risk to Public Health and Safety The exemption is related to the financial surety. The requirement that the licensee provide adequate financial assurance through an approved mechanism (e.g., a surety bond or an irrevocable letter of credit) would remain unaffected by the exemption. Rather, the exemption would only pertain to the establishment of a dedicated trust in which funds could be deposited in the event that the financial assurance mechanism needed to be liquidated. The requirement in 10 CFR VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:02 Mar 07, 2016 Jkt 238001 part 40, Appendix A, Criterion 9(d), allows for the financial or surety arrangements to be consolidated within a State’s similar financial assurance instrument. The NRC has determined that while the State of Wyoming does not require an STA, the special revenue account may serve a similar purpose in that forfeited funds are not deposited into the State treasury for general fund use but, instead, are set aside in the special revenue account to be used exclusively for site-specific reclamation (i.e., decommissioning purposes). Because the licensee remains obligated to establish an adequate financial assurance mechanism for its licensed sites, and the NRC has approved such a mechanism, sufficient funds are available in the event that the site would need to be decommissioned. A temporary delay in establishing an STA does not impact the present availability and adequacy of the actual financial assurance mechanism. Therefore, the limited exemption being issued by the NRC herein presents no undue risk to public health and safety. C. The Exemption Is Consistent With the Common Defense and Security The proposed exemption would not involve or implicate the common defense or security. Therefore, granting the exemption will have no effect on the common defense and security. D. The Exemption Is in the Public Interest The proposed exemption would enable the NRC staff to evaluate the State of Wyoming’s separate account provision and the NRC’s STA requirement to determine if they are comparable. The evaluation process will allow the NRC to determine whether the licensee’s compliance with the state law provision will satisfy the NRC requirement as well. Therefore, granting the exemption is in the public interest. E. Environmental Considerations The NRC staff has determined that granting of an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR part 40, Appendix A, Criterion 9 belongs to a category of regulatory actions that the NRC, by regulation, has determined do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the environment and, as such, do not require an environmental assessment. The exemption from the requirement to have an STA in place is eligible for categorical exclusion under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(vi)(H), which provides that exemptions from surety, insurance, or indemnification requirements are categorically excluded if the exemption PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 would not result in any significant hazards consideration, change or increase in the amount of any offsite effluents, increase in individual or cumulative public or occupational radiation exposure, construction impacts, or increase in the potential for or consequence from radiological accidents. The NRC staff finds that the STA exemption involves surety, insurance, and/or indemnity requirements and that granting Cameco this temporary exemption from the requirement of establishing a standby trust arrangement would not result in any significant hazards or increases in offsite effluents, radiation exposure, construction impacts, or potential radiological accidents. Therefore, an environmental assessment is not required. IV. Conclusion Accordingly, the NRC has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 40.14(a), the proposed temporary exemption is authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to the public health and safety, is consistent with the common defense and security, and is in the public interest. NRC hereby grants Power Resources, Inc., doing business as Cameco Resources, an exemption from the requirement in 10 CFR part 40, Appendix A, Criterion 9 to set up a standby trust to receive funds in the event the NRC or the State regulatory agency exercises is right to collect the surety. This exemption will expire on March 26, 2017, for Ruth, on September 30, 2017, for Smith Ranch-Highland, and on November 7, 2017, for Gas Hills. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 29 day of February 2016. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. John R. Tappert, Director, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Environmental Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 2016–05129 Filed 3–7–16; 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; Control Rod Drive Mechanism Motor Generator Set Field Relay Change Nuclear Regulatory Commission. AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM 08MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 45 / Tuesday, March 8, 2016 / Notices Exemption and combined license amendment; issuance. ACTION: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting 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. 38 to Combined Licenses (COLs), NPF– 91 and NPF–92. The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., and Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, MEAG Power SPVM, LLC., MEAG Power SPVJ, LLC., MEAG POWER SPVP, LLC., and the City of Dalton, Georgia (together ‘‘the licensees’’); for construction and operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) Units 3 and 4, located in Burke County, Georgia. 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 of the amendment, the exemption and amendment are being issued concurrently. SUMMARY: March 8, 2016. Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2008–0252 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 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: 301–415–3463; 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 obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection 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 (if it available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. The request for the amendment and exemption was submitted by letter dated January 8, DATES: asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES ADDRESSES: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:02 Mar 07, 2016 Jkt 238001 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15008A466). • 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: Paul Kallan, Office of New Reactors, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415–2809; email: Paul.Kallan@ 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. 38 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 proposed changes that specifies the use of latching control relays in lieu of breakers to de-energize the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) motor generator (MG) set generator field on a diverse actuation system (DAS) reactor trip signal. The replacement of the CRDM MG set generator field breakers with field control relays requires a UFSAR Tier 2 departure that involves changes to COL Appendix C, Tables 2.5.1–4, ‘‘Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria,’’ and 3.7–1, ‘‘Risk-Significant Components,’’ along with corresponding departures from plant-specific DCD Tier 1 information. 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. ML15187A361. Identical exemption documents (except for referenced unit numbers and license numbers) were issued to the PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 12135 licensee for VEGP Units 3 and 4 (COLs NPF–91 and NPF–92). The exemption documents for VEGP Units 3 and 4 can be found in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML15187A297 and ML15187A325, respectively. 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. ML15187A281 and ML15187A285, respectively. 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 Units 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 January 08, 2015, 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 15–002, ‘‘Control Rod Mechanism Motor Generator Set Field Relay Change (LAR–15–002).’’ 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. ML15187A361, 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 from the certified DCD Tier 1, COL Appendix C, Table 2.5.1–4, and Table 3.7–1, as described in the licensee’s request dated January 08, 2015. This exemption is related to, and necessary for the granting of License Amendment No. 38, which is being issued concurrently with this exemption. 3. As explained in Section 5.0, ‘‘Environmental Consideration,’’ of the NRC staff’s Safety Evaluation (ADAMS E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM 08MRN1 12136 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 45 / Tuesday, March 8, 2016 / Notices Accession No. ML15187A361), 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 September 8, 2015. III. License Amendment Request By letter dated January 8, 2015, the licensee requested that the NRC amend the COLs for VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs NPF–91 and NPF–92. The proposed amendment is described in Section I of this Federal Register notice. 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 3, 2015 (80 FR 5798). No comments were received during the 30day 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. asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 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 January 8, 2015. The exemption and amendment were issued on September 8, 2015, as part of a combined package to the licensee (ADAMS Accession No. ML15187A258). Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day of March 2016. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. John McKirgan, Acting Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, Office of New Reactors. [FR Doc. 2016–05133 Filed 3–7–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:02 Mar 07, 2016 Jkt 238001 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Metallurgy and Reactor Fuels The ACRS Subcommittee on Metallurgy & Reactor Fuels will hold a meeting on March 22, 2016, Room T– 2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The meeting will be open to public attendance. The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Tuesday, March 22, 2016—8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. The Subcommittee will discuss Regulatory Guide 1.229, ‘‘Risk-Informed Approach for Addressing the Effects of Debris on Post-Accident Long-Term Core Cooling.’’ The Subcommittee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with the NRC staff and other interested persons regarding this matter. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the Full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official (DFO), Christopher Brown (Telephone 301–415–7111 or Email: Christopher.Brown@nrc.gov) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Thirty-five hard copies of each presentation or handout should be provided to the DFO thirty minutes before the meeting. In addition, one electronic copy of each presentation should be emailed to the DFO one day before the meeting. If an electronic copy cannot be provided within this timeframe, presenters should provide the DFO with a CD containing each presentation at least thirty minutes before the meeting. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Detailed procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings were published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2015, (80 FR 63846). Detailed meeting agendas and meeting transcripts are available on the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/acrs. Information regarding topics to be discussed, changes to the agenda, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, and the time allotted to present oral statements can be obtained PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 from the Web site cited above or by contacting the identified DFO. Moreover, in view of the possibility that the schedule for ACRS meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should check with these references if such rescheduling would result in a major inconvenience. If attending this meeting, please enter through the One White Flint North building, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. After registering with security, please contact Mr. Theron Brown (Telephone 240–888–9835) to be escorted to the meeting room. Dated: March 2, 2016. Mark L. Banks, Chief, Technical Support Branch, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. [FR Doc. 2016–05135 Filed 3–7–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Metallurgy & Reactor Fuels, Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Metallurgy & Reactor Fuels will hold a meeting on March 23–24, 2016, Room T–2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The meeting will be open to public attendance. The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Wednesday, March 23, 2016—8:30 a.m. Until 5:00 p.m.; Thursday, March 24, 2016, 8:30 a.m. Until 12:00 p.m. The Subcommittee will discuss framework for Storage and Transportation of Spent Fuel. The Subcommittee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with the NRC staff and other interested persons regarding this matter. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the Full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official (DFO), Christopher Brown (Telephone 301–415–7111 or Email: Christopher.Brown@nrc.gov) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Thirty-five hard copies of each presentation or handout should be provided to the DFO thirty minutes E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM 08MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12134-12136]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05133]


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

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; Control Rod Drive Mechanism Motor Generator 
Set Field Relay Change

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

[[Page 12135]]


ACTION: Exemption and combined license amendment; issuance.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting 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. 38 to Combined Licenses (COLs), NPF-91 and NPF-
92. The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., 
and Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, MEAG Power 
SPVM, LLC., MEAG Power SPVJ, LLC., MEAG POWER SPVP, LLC., and the City 
of Dalton, Georgia (together ``the licensees''); for construction and 
operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) Units 3 and 4, 
located in Burke County, Georgia.
    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 of the 
amendment, the exemption and amendment are being issued concurrently.

DATES: March 8, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2008-0252 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 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: 301-415-
3463; 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 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 ``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 (if it available in 
ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. The 
request for the amendment and exemption was submitted by letter dated 
January 8, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15008A466).
     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: Paul Kallan, Office of New Reactors, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; 
telephone: 301-415-2809; email: Paul.Kallan@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. 38 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 proposed changes that 
specifies the use of latching control relays in lieu of breakers to de-
energize the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) motor generator (MG) 
set generator field on a diverse actuation system (DAS) reactor trip 
signal. The replacement of the CRDM MG set generator field breakers 
with field control relays requires a UFSAR Tier 2 departure that 
involves changes to COL Appendix C, Tables 2.5.1-4, ``Inspections, 
Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria,'' and 3.7-1, ``Risk-
Significant Components,'' along with corresponding departures from 
plant-specific DCD Tier 1 information.
    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. ML15187A361.
    Identical exemption documents (except for referenced unit numbers 
and license numbers) were issued to the licensee for VEGP Units 3 and 4 
(COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92). The exemption documents for VEGP Units 3 and 
4 can be found in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML15187A297 and 
ML15187A325, respectively. 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. ML15187A281 and 
ML15187A285, respectively. 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 Units 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 January 08, 2015, 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 15-002, 
``Control Rod Mechanism Motor Generator Set Field Relay Change (LAR-15-
002).''
    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. ML15187A361, 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 from the 
certified DCD Tier 1, COL Appendix C, Table 2.5.1-4, and Table 3.7-1, 
as described in the licensee's request dated January 08, 2015. This 
exemption is related to, and necessary for the granting of License 
Amendment No. 38, which is being issued concurrently with this 
exemption.
    3. As explained in Section 5.0, ``Environmental Consideration,'' of 
the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation (ADAMS

[[Page 12136]]

Accession No. ML15187A361), 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 September 8, 2015.

III. License Amendment Request

    By letter dated January 8, 2015, the licensee requested that the 
NRC amend the COLs for VEGP, Units 3 and 4, COLs NPF-91 and NPF-92. The 
proposed amendment is described in Section I of this Federal Register 
notice.
    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 3, 2015 (80 FR 5798). No comments were received 
during the 30-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 January 8, 2015. The exemption and amendment were issued 
on September 8, 2015, as part of a combined package to the licensee 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML15187A258).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day of March 2016.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John McKirgan,
Acting Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, 
Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2016-05133 Filed 3-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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