Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 3 and 4 Containment Hydrogen Igniter Changes, 14917-14919 [2017-05786]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 55 / Thursday, March 23, 2017 / Notices
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
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. ML17027A292.
Identical exemption documents
(except for referenced unit numbers and
license numbers) were issued to the
licensee for VCSNS Units 2 and 3 (COLs
NPF–93 and NPF–94). The exemption
documents for VCSNS Units 2 and 3 can
be found in ADAMS under Accession
Nos. ML17027A255 and ML17027A266,
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–93 and NPF–94 are available in
ADAMS under Accession Nos.
ML17027A245 and ML17027A252,
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 VCSNS Units 2 and
Unit 3. 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 October 24, 2016,
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 16–17, ‘‘Qualified
Data Processing System and Safety
Display Description (LAR 16–17).’’
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. ML17027A292, 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:13 Mar 22, 2017
Jkt 241001
Tier 1 information, with corresponding
changes to Appendix C of the Facility
Combined Licenses as described in the
licensee’s request dated October 24,
2016. This exemption is related to, and
necessary for, the granting of License
Amendment No. 60, 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
Accession No. ML17027A292), 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 the
date of its issuance.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated October 24, 2016, the
licensee requested that the NRC amend
the COLs for VCSNS, Units 2 and 3,
COLs NPF–93 and NPF–94. 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
November 22, 2016 (81 FR 83871). 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.
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 October 24, 2016. The exemption
and amendment were issued on
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14917
February 9, 2017, as part of a combined
package to the licensee (ADAMS
Accession No. ML17027A223).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day
of March 2017.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jennifer Dixon-Herrity,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New
Reactor Licensing, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2017–05779 Filed 3–22–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 52–025 and 52–026; NRC–
2008–0252]
Southern Nuclear Operating Company,
Inc., Vogtle Electric Generating Plant,
Units 3 and 4 Containment Hydrogen
Igniter Changes
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Exemption and combined
license amendment; issuance.
AGENCY:
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.
61 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, 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 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: The exemption and amendment
were issued on December 22, 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
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\23MRN1.SGM
23MRN1
14918
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 55 / Thursday, March 23, 2017 / Notices
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 is available in
ADAMS) is provided the first time that
it is mentioned in this document. The
request for the amendment and
exemption was submitted by letter
dated February 6, 2015 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML15037A715), as
supplemented by letter dated September
15, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15258A555).
• 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:
Chandu Patel, Office of New Reactors,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone:
301–415–3025; email: Chandu.Patel@
nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
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. 61 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 to the VEGP
Units 3 and 4 Updated Final Safety
Analysis Report (UFSAR) in the form of
departures from the incorporated plantspecific DCD Tier 2 information. The
proposed amendment also involves
related changes to plant-specific Tier 1
information, with corresponding
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:13 Mar 22, 2017
Jkt 241001
changes to the associated COL
Appendix C information.
The amendment authorizes changes to
the VEGP Units 3 and 4 UFSAR: (1) To
add two additional hydrogen igniters to
the in-containment refueling water
storage tank roof vents; (2) to remove
control of the hydrogen igniters from the
protection and safety monitoring
system; (3) to clarify the controls
available for the hydrogen igniters at the
remote shutdown workstation; and (4)
to make changes to the design aspects of
the hydrogen igniters to maintain
consistency within various licensing
documents. 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.
ML16096A449.
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. ML16096A431 and ML16096A433,
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.
ML16096A424 and ML16096A427,
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 VEGP 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 February 6, 2015,
and supplemented by letter dated
September 15, 2015, the licensee
requested from the Commission an
exemption to allow departures from Tier
1 information in the certified DCD
PO 00000
Frm 00054
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
incorporated by reference in 10 CFR
part 52, appendix D, as part of license
amendment request 15–003,
‘‘Containment Hydrogen Igniter
Changes.’’
For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1
of the NRC staff’s Safety Evaluation,
which can be found in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML16096A449, 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 information related to hydrogen
igniter, as described in the licensee’s
request dated February 6, 2015, and
supplemented by letter dated September
15, 2015. This exemption is related to,
and necessary for the granting of
License Amendment No. 61, which is
being issued concurrently with this
exemption.
3. As explained in Section 5.0 of the
NRC staff’s Safety Evaluation (ADAMS
Accession No. ML16096A449), 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 the
date of its issuance.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated February 6, 2015
(ADAMS Accession No. ML15037A715),
as supplemented by letter dated
September 15, 2015 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML15258A555), 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
document.
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.
E:\FR\FM\23MRN1.SGM
23MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 55 / Thursday, March 23, 2017 / Notices
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 COL, 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 2, 2016 (81 FR
10920). Comments were received during
the 30-day comment period.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
V. 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 6, 2015, and supplemented
by letter dated September 15, 2015. The
exemption and amendment were issued
on December 22, 2016, as part of a
combined package to the licensee
(ADAMS Accession No. ML16096A345).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day
of March 2017.
17:13 Mar 22, 2017
I. Obtaining Information and
Submitting Comments
[FR Doc. 2017–05786 Filed 3–22–17; 8:45 am]
Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2016–
0183 when contacting the NRC about
the availability of information for this
action. You may obtain publiclyavailable information related to this
action by any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2016–0183. A copy
of the collection of Information and
related instructions may be obtained
without charge by accessing Docket ID
NRC–2016–0183.
• 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
Supporting Statement and NRC Form
749 ‘‘Manual License Verification
Report’’ are available in ADAMS under
Accession Nos. ML16294A577 and
ML16335A194.
• 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.
• NRC’s Clearance Officer: A copy of
the collection of information and related
instructions may be obtained without
charge by contacting NRC’s Clearance
Officer, David Cullison, Office of the
Chief Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415–
2084; email:
Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov.
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2016–0183]
Information Collection: NRC Form 749,
‘‘Manual License Verification Report’’
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
A request for a hearing was filed on
May 2, 2016, by the Blue Ridge
Environmental Defense League
(‘‘BREDL’’) and its chapter, Concerned
Citizens of Shell Bluff (ADAMS
Accession No. ML16124B062). The
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
(ASLB) denied BREDL’s request for
hearing in an order dated September 16,
2016 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML16259A157). Subsequently, on
October 11, 2016, BREDL appealed the
ASLB decision (ADAMS Accession No.
ML16285A548). On February 16, 2017,
the Commission affirmed the ASLB’s
decision (ADAMS Accession No.
ML17047A149).
Under its regulations, the Commission
may issue and make an amendment
immediately effective, notwithstanding
the pendency before it of a request for
a hearing from any person, in advance
of the holding and completion of any
required hearing, where it has made a
final determination that no significant
hazards consideration is involved.
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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jennifer Dixon-Herrity,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New
Reactor Licensing, Office of New Reactors.
AGENCY:
IV. Public Comments
Jkt 241001
14919
Renewal of existing information
collection; request for comment.
ACTION:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) invites public
comment on the renewal of Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
approval for an existing collection of
information. The information collection
is entitled, NRC Form 749, ‘‘Manual
License Verification Report.’’
SUMMARY:
Submit comments by May 22,
2017. Comments received after this date
will be considered if it is practical to do
so, but the Commission is able to ensure
consideration only for comments
received on or before this date.
DATES:
You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2016–0183. 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.
• Mail comments to: David Cullison,
Office of the Chief Information Officer,
Mail Stop: T–5 F53, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001.
For additional direction on obtaining
information and submitting comments,
see ‘‘Obtaining Information and
Submitting Comments’’ in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this document.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Cullison, Office of the Chief
Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415–
2084; email:
Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00055
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
A. Obtaining Information
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC–2016–
0183 in the subject line of your
comment submission, in order to ensure
that the NRC is able to make your
comment submission available to the
public in this docket.
The NRC cautions you not to include
identifying or contact information in
comment submissions that you do not
want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC will
post all comment submissions at https://
www.regulations.gov as well as enter the
comment submissions into ADAMS,
and the NRC does not routinely edit
E:\FR\FM\23MRN1.SGM
23MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 55 (Thursday, March 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14917-14919]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05786]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 52-025 and 52-026; NRC-2008-0252]
Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., Vogtle Electric
Generating Plant, Units 3 and 4 Containment Hydrogen Igniter Changes
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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. 61 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, 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 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: The exemption and amendment were issued on December 22, 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
[[Page 14918]]
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 is available
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this
document. The request for the amendment and exemption was submitted by
letter dated February 6, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15037A715), as
supplemented by letter dated September 15, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15258A555).
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: Chandu Patel, Office of New Reactors,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001;
telephone: 301-415-3025; email: Chandu.Patel@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. 61 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 to
the VEGP Units 3 and 4 Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) in
the form of departures from the incorporated plant-specific DCD Tier 2
information. The proposed amendment also involves related changes to
plant-specific Tier 1 information, with corresponding changes to the
associated COL Appendix C information.
The amendment authorizes changes to the VEGP Units 3 and 4 UFSAR:
(1) To add two additional hydrogen igniters to the in-containment
refueling water storage tank roof vents; (2) to remove control of the
hydrogen igniters from the protection and safety monitoring system; (3)
to clarify the controls available for the hydrogen igniters at the
remote shutdown workstation; and (4) to make changes to the design
aspects of the hydrogen igniters to maintain consistency within various
licensing documents. 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. ML16096A449.
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. ML16096A431 and
ML16096A433, 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. ML16096A424 and
ML16096A427, 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 VEGP 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 February 6, 2015, and supplemented by letter
dated September 15, 2015, the licensee requested from the Commission an
exemption to allow departures from Tier 1 information in the certified
DCD incorporated by reference in 10 CFR part 52, appendix D, as part of
license amendment request 15-003, ``Containment Hydrogen Igniter
Changes.''
For the reasons set forth in Section 3.1 of the NRC staff's Safety
Evaluation, which can be found in ADAMS under Accession No.
ML16096A449, 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 information related to hydrogen igniter, as
described in the licensee's request dated February 6, 2015, and
supplemented by letter dated September 15, 2015. This exemption is
related to, and necessary for the granting of License Amendment No. 61,
which is being issued concurrently with this exemption.
3. As explained in Section 5.0 of the NRC staff's Safety Evaluation
(ADAMS Accession No. ML16096A449), 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 the date of its issuance.
III. License Amendment Request
By letter dated February 6, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15037A715),
as supplemented by letter dated September 15, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15258A555), 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 document.
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.
[[Page 14919]]
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 COL, 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 2, 2016 (81 FR 10920). Comments were received during the 30-day
comment period.
IV. Public Comments
A request for a hearing was filed on May 2, 2016, by the Blue Ridge
Environmental Defense League (``BREDL'') and its chapter, Concerned
Citizens of Shell Bluff (ADAMS Accession No. ML16124B062). The Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) denied BREDL's request for hearing in
an order dated September 16, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16259A157).
Subsequently, on October 11, 2016, BREDL appealed the ASLB decision
(ADAMS Accession No. ML16285A548). On February 16, 2017, the Commission
affirmed the ASLB's decision (ADAMS Accession No. ML17047A149).
Under its regulations, the Commission may issue and make an
amendment immediately effective, notwithstanding the pendency before it
of a request for a hearing from any person, in advance of the holding
and completion of any required hearing, where it has made a final
determination that no significant hazards consideration is involved.
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.
V. 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 6, 2015, and supplemented by letter dated
September 15, 2015. The exemption and amendment were issued on December
22, 2016, as part of a combined package to the licensee (ADAMS
Accession No. ML16096A345).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of March 2017.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jennifer Dixon-Herrity,
Chief, Licensing Branch 4, Division of New Reactor Licensing, Office of
New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2017-05786 Filed 3-22-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P