Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3, 64175-64178 [2020-22371]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 197 / Friday, October 9, 2020 / Notices
51.22(c)(25). Therefore, in accordance
with 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental
impact statement or environmental
assessment need be prepared in
connection with the NRC’s issuance of
this exemption.
IV. Conclusions
The NRC has determined that,
pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12 and 10 CFR
54.15, the exemption is authorized by
law, will not present an undue risk to
the public health and safety, and is
consistent with the common defense
and security. Also, special
circumstances are present. Therefore,
the NRC hereby grants I&M an
exemption from the requirements of 10
CFR 54.37(b) and 10 CFR 50.54(a)(3)
with respect to their references to 10
CFR 50.71(e) to allow I&M to continue
to submit its periodic updates to the
CNP FSAR within 6 months after each
CNP, Unit No. 1 refueling outage, not to
exceed 24 months from the last
submittal.
This exemption is effective upon
issuance.
Dated: October 1, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David J. Wrona,
Acting Deputy Director, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2020–22231 Filed 10–8–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50–237 and 50–249; NRC–
2020–0223]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC;
Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units
2 and 3
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Exemption; issuance.
AGENCY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:26 Oct 08, 2020
Jkt 253001
Dated: October 5, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Russell S. Haskell,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III,
Division of Operating Reactor Licensing,
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Attachment—Exemption
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) has issued an
exemption from regulatory requirements
for Dresden Nuclear Power Station,
Units 2 and 3, in response to a October
21, 2019, request from Exelon
Generation Company, LLC in order to
permit exclusion of main steam
isolation valve (MSIV) leakage from the
overall integrated leak rate Type A test
measurement, and MSIV pathway
leakage contributions from the
combined leakage rate of all
penetrations and valves subject to Type
B and Type C tests.
DATES: The exemption was issued on
October 5, 2020.
SUMMARY:
Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2020–0223 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may obtain publicly available
information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2020–0223. Address
questions about Docket IDs in
Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301–287–9127; email:
Jennifer.Borges@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
‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For
problems with ADAMS, please contact
the NRC’s Public Document Room
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Russell S. Haskell, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415–
1129, email: Russell.Haskell@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of
the exemption is attached.
ADDRESSES:
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
Docket Nos. 50–237 and 50–249
Exelon Generation Company, LLC,
Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2
and 3
Exemption
I. Background
Exelon Generation Company, LLC
(EGC, the licensee) is the holder of
Facility Operating License Nos. DPR–19
and DPR–25, which authorize operation
of the Dresden Nuclear Power Station,
Units 2 and 3 (DNPS). The licenses
provide, among other things, that the
facilities are subject to the rules,
PO 00000
Frm 00068
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
64175
regulations, and orders of the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC,
the Commission) now or hereafter in
effect. The facilities each consist of a
boiling, light-water reactor located in
Grundy County, Illinois.
II. Request/Action
In its letter dated October 21, 2019, as
supplemented by letters dated May 6,
2020, and August 24, 2020 (Agencywide
Documents Access and Management
System (ADAMS) Accession Nos.
ML19294A304, ML20127H891, and
ML20237F317, respectively), EGC
requested a permanent exemption from
the Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Appendix
J, Option B, Section III.A requirements
in order to permit exclusion of main
steam isolation valve (MSIV) leakage
from the overall integrated leak rate
Type A test measurement, and from
Option B, Section III.B, requirements to
permit exclusion of the MSIV pathway
leakage contributions from the
combined leakage rate of all
penetrations and valves subject to Type
B and Type C tests. EGC also requested
a revision to Technical Specification
(TS) 3.6.1.3, ‘‘Primary Containment
Isolation Valves (PCIVs),’’ Surveillance
Requirement (SR) 3.6.1.3.10, that would
revise the single and combined MSIV
leakage rate limits; an addition of a new
TS 3.6.2.6, ‘‘Drywell Spray,’’ to reflect
the crediting of drywell spray for fission
product removal; and a revision to TS
3.6.4.1, ‘‘Secondary Containment,’’ SR
3.6.4.1.1, to address short-duration
conditions during which the secondary
containment pressure may not meet the
SR pressure requirement at DNPS. The
license amendment requests are
addressed separately.
Under Part 50 of 10 CFR, paragraph
50.54(o), primary reactor containments
for water-cooled power reactors are
subject to the requirements of Appendix
J to 10 CFR part 50. Appendix J specifies
the leakage rate test requirements,
schedules, and acceptance criteria for
tests of the leak-tight integrity of the
reactor containment and systems and
components that penetrate the
containment. Option B of 10 CFR 50,
Appendix J, ‘‘Performance-Based
Requirements,’’ paragraph III.A, ‘‘Type
A Test,’’ requires, among other things,
that the overall integrated leakage rate
must not exceed the allowable leakage
rate (La) with margin, as specified in the
TSs. The overall integrated leakage rate
is defined in 10 CFR part 50, Appendix
J, as ‘‘the total leakage rate through all
tested leakage paths, including
containment welds, valves, fittings, and
components that penetrate the
containment system.’’ This includes the
E:\FR\FM\09OCN1.SGM
09OCN1
64176
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 197 / Friday, October 9, 2020 / Notices
contribution through the four main
steam lines where each line contains
two MSIVs in series. Paragraph III.B,
‘‘Type B and C Tests,’’ requires, among
other things, that the sum of the leakage
rates of Type B and Type C local leakage
rate tests be less than the performance
criterion (La) with margin as specified in
the TSs. The allowable leakage rates set
in the TSs ensure that the required dose
limits, such as in 10 CFR 50.67,
‘‘Accident source term,’’ will not be
exceeded.
This requested exemption concerns
the main steam system, which
penetrates containment. The
radiological consequences of MSIV
leakage are modeled as a separate
primary containment release path to the
environment that bypasses secondary
containment because MSIV leakage is
not filtered through the standby gas
treatment system like other containment
leakage. The design-basis LOCA dose
calculation assumes all MSIV leakage
migrates to the turbine building and
then to the environment. By currently
including the main steam pathway
leakage with the rest of the primary
containment leakage test results, it is
being accounted for twice: once as part
of the actual containment leakage and
again as part of the MSIV leakage used
in the LOCA dose calculations.
III. Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the
Commission may, upon application by
any interested person or upon its own
initiative, grant exemptions from the
requirements of 10 CFR part 50 when (1)
the exemptions are authorized by law,
will not present an undue risk to public
health or safety, and are consistent with
the common defense and security; and
(2) when special circumstances as
described in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(i)–(vi)
are present. The licensee asserted that
special circumstances are present under
10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii) because the
application of the regulation in the
particular circumstances would not
serve the underlying purpose of the rule
or is not necessary to achieve the
underlying purpose of the rule.
The licensee submitted this
exemption request as part of a license
amendment request to increase the
allowable MSIV leakage rate, which if
approved, would permit an increase in
allowable MSIV leakage rate that is
excluded from the overall integrated
leak rate Type A test measurement and
excluded from the combined Type B
and Type C test total. The licensee
described its view on the special
circumstances associated with the MSIV
leakage path testing in its application
dated October 21, 2019.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:26 Oct 08, 2020
Jkt 253001
A. The Exemption Is Authorized by Law
This exemption permits exclusion of
the MSIV pathway leakage contribution
from the overall integrated leakage rate
Type A test measurement and from the
combined leakage rate of all
penetrations and valves subject to Type
B and Type C tests. As stated above, 10
CFR 50.12 allows the NRC to grant
exemptions from the requirements of 10
CFR part 50. The NRC staff has
determined that granting the licensee’s
proposed exemption will not result in a
violation of the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, as amended, or the Commission’s
regulations. Therefore, the exemption is
authorized by law.
B. The Exemption Presents No Undue
Risk to Public Health and Safety
Type A tests to measure the
containment system overall integrated
leakage rate must be conducted under
conditions representing design-basis
LOCA containment peak pressure. Type
B pneumatic tests to detect and measure
local leakage rates across pressure
retaining, leakage-limiting boundaries,
and Type C pneumatic tests to measure
containment isolation valve leakage
rates, must be conducted to ensure the
integrity of the overall containment
system as a barrier to fission product
release to reduce the risk from reactor
accidents.
In license Amendment Nos. 221 and
Amendment 212 dated September 11,
2006 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML062070290), the NRC approved the
use of the alternative source term (as
prescribed in 10 CFR 50.67) in the
calculations of the radiological dose
consequences of design-basis accidents,
including the design-basis LOCA, for
DNPS. The NRC staff’s safety evaluation
accompanying these amendments
acknowledged that once fission
products are dispersed in the primary
containment, their release to the
environment is assumed to occur
through three pathways: (1) The leakage
of primary containment atmosphere; (2)
the leakage of primary containment
atmosphere through MSIVs; and (3) the
leakage from emergency core cooling
systems that recirculate suppression
pool water outside of the primary
containment. As noted above, however,
leakage through the MSIVs is
considered a separate pathway and is
calculated as a separate contributor to
the dose consequence analysis. As such,
the inclusion of MSIV leakage as part of
Type A and as part of Type B and C test
results is not necessary to ensure the
actual radiological consequences of
design-basis accidents remain below the
regulatory limit.
PO 00000
Frm 00069
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The proposed exemption does not
create any new accident precursors.
Therefore, the probability of postulated
accidents is not increased. Also, the
consequences of postulated accidents
are not significantly changed from the
previously evaluated consequences
associated with the design-basis LOCA
as described in the alternative source
term amendments. Therefore, there is no
undue risk to public health and safety.
C. The Exemption is Consistent With the
Common Defense and Security
The proposed exemption excludes the
MSIV pathway leakage contribution
from the overall integrated leakage rate
Type A test measurement and from the
combined leakage rate of all
penetrations and valves subject to Type
B and Type C tests. This change to
accounting for leakage rate
measurement has no relation to security
issues. Therefore, the exemption is
consistent with the common defense
and security.
D. Special Circumstances
Under 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii) special
circumstances include when,
‘‘[a]pplication of the regulation in the
particular circumstances would not
serve the underlying purpose of the rule
or is not necessary to achieve the
underlying purpose of the rule.’’
The test requirements in Appendix J
to 10 CFR part 50 ensure that leakage
through containments or systems and
components penetrating containments
does not exceed allowable leakage rates
specified in the technical specifications,
and integrity of the containment
structure is maintained during its
service life. Option B of Appendix J
identifies the performance-based
requirements and criteria for
preoperational and subsequent periodic
leakage-rate testing.
The licensee has analyzed the main
steam pathway leakage separately from
the overall containment integrated
leakage; the local leakage across
pressure-containing or leakage-limiting
boundaries; and the containment
isolation valve leakage in its dose
consequence analyses. The dose
consequences were found to be within
the applicable acceptance criteria in 10
CFR 50.67, ‘‘Accident source term,’’ and
the guidance of NRC Regulatory Guide
1.183, Revision 0, ‘‘Alternative
Radiological Source Terms for
Evaluating Design Basis Accidents at
Nuclear Power Reactors,’’ dated July
2000 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML003716792). The staff has reviewed
the licensee’s analysis and determined
that the dose consequences of
implementing the proposed change are
E:\FR\FM\09OCN1.SGM
09OCN1
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 197 / Friday, October 9, 2020 / Notices
below the applicable acceptance criteria
and the containment leaks will continue
to be limited by the DNPS TSs.
Therefore, because the underlying
purposes of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix
J, are still achieved, the special
circumstances required by 10 CFR
50.12(a)(2)(ii) for the granting of an
exemption from 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix J, Option B, Sections lII.A
and III.B, exist.
E. Environmental Considerations
The NRC staff determined that the
issuance of the requested exemption
meets the provisions of categorical
exclusion 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25) because
there is: (i) No significant hazards
consideration; (ii) no significant change
in the types or significant increase in
the amounts of any effluents that may be
released offsite; (iii) no significant
increase in individual or cumulative
public or occupational radiation
exposure; (iv) no significant
construction impact; (v) no significant
increase in the potential for or
consequences from radiological
accidents; and (vi) the requirements
from which an exemption is sought
involve inspection or surveillance
requirements. Therefore, in accordance
with 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental
impact statement or environmental
assessment need be prepared in
connection with the NRC’s issuance of
this exemption. The basis for the NRC
staff’s determination is provided in the
following evaluation of the
requirements in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(i)–
(vi).
Requirements in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(i)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion
under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(i), the
exemption must involve ‘‘no significant
hazards consideration.’’ The NRC staff
evaluated whether the exemption
involves no significant hazards
consideration by using the standards in
10 CFR 50.92(c), as presented below:
1. Does the requested exemption
involve a significant increase in the
probability or consequences of an
accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed exemption would
permit exclusion of the MSIV pathway
leakage contribution from the overall
integrated leakage rate Type A test
measurement and from the sum of the
leakage rates from Type B and Type C
tests. The leakage of primary
containment atmosphere through MSIVs
is accounted for as a separate
contributor to the design-basis LOCA
dose consequence analysis. This
exemption will allow the leakage testing
to be performed in a manner consistent
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:26 Oct 08, 2020
Jkt 253001
with the way MSIV leakage is modeled
in the revised radiological consequence
analysis submitted as part of the related
license amendment request submitted in
the letter dated October 21, 2019, as
supplemented by letter dated May 6,
2020. This change to the leakage rate
measurement does not increase the
probability or consequences of an
accident previously evaluated.
Therefore, the exemption does not
involve a significant increase in the
probability or consequences of an
accident previously evaluated.
2. Does the requested exemption
create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any
accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed exemption does not
involve a physical modification to the
plant (i.e., no new or different type of
equipment will be installed and there
are no physical modifications to existing
equipment associated with the proposed
change). Similarly, it does not
physically change any structures,
systems, or components involved in the
mitigation of any accidents.
Therefore, the exemption does not
create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any
accident previously evaluated.
3. Does the requested exemption
involve a significant reduction in a
margin of safety?
Response: No.
The proposed exemption does not
alter a design basis or safety limit nor
cause a limit to be exceeded. The
proposed exemption allows the results
of the TS required MSIV leakage
pathway tests to no longer be accounted
for as part of the overall integrated
leakage rate Type A test measurement
and as part of the sum of the local
leakage rates from Type B and Type C
tests. This change only affects which
leakage rates are included in the Types
A, B, and C results. This exemption will
allow the leakage testing to be
performed in a manner consistent with
the way MSIV leakage is modeled in the
revised radiological consequence
analysis submitted as part of the related
license amendment request.
Therefore, the exemption does not
involve a significant reduction in a
margin of safety.
Based on the evaluation above, the
NRC staff has determined that the
proposed exemption involves no
significant hazards consideration.
Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(i) are met.
Requirements in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(ii)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion
under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(ii), the
PO 00000
Frm 00070
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
64177
exemption must result in ‘‘no significant
change in the types or significant
increase in the amounts of any effluents
that may be released offsite.’’ The
proposed exemption allows the results
of the TS-required MSIV leakage
pathway tests to be accounted for only
as part of the design-basis LOCA
consequence analysis. This change only
affects the total in which the leakage
rates are included and does not change
the frequency or pressure at which the
testing must be performed. The
underlying purpose of 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix J, is to demonstrate by
periodic testing and visual inspection
that the primary reactor containment
will be able to perform its function of
providing an essentially leak-tight
barrier against uncontrolled release of
radioactivity to the environment. The
inclusion of the MSIV leakage testing
results in the design-basis LOCA serves
the same purpose as the inclusion in the
rate Type A test measurement and the
sum of the leakage rates from Type B
and Type C tests required by Appendix
J, Option B, paragraphs III.A and III.B.
Therefore, the proposed exemption will
not significantly change the types of
effluents that may be released offsite, or
significantly increase the amount of
effluents that may be released offsite.
Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(ii) are met.
Requirements in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iii)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion
under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iii), the
exemption must result in ‘‘no significant
increase in individual or cumulative
public or occupational radiation
exposure.’’ The proposed exemption
permits the exclusion of the MSIV
leakage pathway results from the Type
A test measurement and the sum of the
leakage rates from Type B and Type C
tests required by Appendix J, Option B,
paragraphs III.A and III.B, and has no
impact on, or change to, fuel or core
design. Additionally, the TSs still
require that the MSIV leakage rates be
tested and maintained below set limits.
As such, the calculated public and
occupational doses will remain
essentially the same. Therefore, the
proposed exemption will not
significantly increase individual or
cumulative public or occupational
radiation exposure. Therefore, the
requirements of 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iii)
are met.
Requirement in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iv)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion
under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iv), the
exemption must result in ‘‘no significant
construction impact.’’ The exemption
does propose any changes to the site,
E:\FR\FM\09OCN1.SGM
09OCN1
64178
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 197 / Friday, October 9, 2020 / Notices
alter the site, or change the operation of
the site. Therefore, there is no
significant construction impact.
Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(iv) are met.
Requirement in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(v)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion
under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(v), the
exemption must involve ‘‘no significant
increase in the potential for or
consequences from radiological
accidents.’’ The proposed exemption
does not remove the requirement to
perform leakage rate testing of the
MSIVs. This exemption will allow the
leakage testing to be performed in a
manner consistent with the way MSIV
leakage is modeled in the revised
radiological consequence analysis
submitted as part of the related license
amendment request. Therefore, this
change to the leakage rate measurement
does not result in a significant increase
in the potential for or consequences
from radiological accidents. Therefore,
the requirements of 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(v) are met.
Requirement in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(vi)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion
under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(vi)(C), the
exemption must involve inspection or
surveillance requirements. The
exemption seeks to permit exclusion of
the MSIV leakage from the overall
integrated leak rate Type A test
measurement and the combined leakage
rate of all penetrations and valves
subject to Type B and Type C tests
required by Appendix J to 10 CFR part
50. Appendix J specifies the leakage rate
test requirements, schedules, and
acceptance criteria for tests of the leaktight integrity of the reactor
containment, and systems and
components that penetrate the
containment. Therefore, the exemption
involves a surveillance requirement.
Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(vi) are met.
Conclusion
Based on the above, the NRC staff
concludes that the proposed exemption
meets the eligibility criteria for the
categorical exclusion set forth in 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25). Therefore, in accordance
with 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental
impact statement or environmental
assessment need be prepared in
connection with the NRC’s issuance of
this exemption.
IV. Conclusions
Accordingly, the Commission has
determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR
50.12, the exemption is authorized by
law, will not present an undue risk to
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:26 Oct 08, 2020
Jkt 253001
the public health and safety, and is
consistent with the common defense
and security. Also, special
circumstances are present. Therefore,
the Commission hereby grants EGC a
permanent exemption (1) from the
requirements of 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix J, Option B, Section III.A, to
allow exclusion of the MSIV pathway
leakage from the overall integrated
leakage rate measured when performing
a Type A test; and (2) from the
requirements of 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix J, Option B, Section III.B, to
allow exclusion of the MSIV pathway
leakage from the combined leakage rate
of all penetrations and valves subject to
Types B and C tests for DNPS.
This exemption is effective upon
issuance.
Dated: 5th day of October 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David J. Wrona,
Acting Deputy Director, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2020–22371 Filed 10–8–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. MC2021–4 and CP2021–4;
MC2021–5 and CP2021–5; MC2021–6 and
CP2021–6; MC2021–7 and CP2021–7;
MC2021–8 and CP2021–8]
New Postal Products
Postal Regulatory Commission.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Commission is noticing a
recent Postal Service filing for the
Commission’s consideration concerning
negotiated service agreements. This
notice informs the public of the filing,
invites public comment, and takes other
administrative steps.
DATES: Comments are due: October 15,
2020.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments
electronically via the Commission’s
Filing Online system at https://
www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit
comments electronically should contact
the person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section by
telephone for advice on filing
alternatives.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David A. Trissell, General Counsel, at
202–789–6820.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Docketed Proceeding(s)
PO 00000
Frm 00071
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
I. Introduction
The Commission gives notice that the
Postal Service filed request(s) for the
Commission to consider matters related
to negotiated service agreement(s). The
request(s) may propose the addition or
removal of a negotiated service
agreement from the market dominant or
the competitive product list, or the
modification of an existing product
currently appearing on the market
dominant or the competitive product
list.
Section II identifies the docket
number(s) associated with each Postal
Service request, the title of each Postal
Service request, the request’s acceptance
date, and the authority cited by the
Postal Service for each request. For each
request, the Commission appoints an
officer of the Commission to represent
the interests of the general public in the
proceeding, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505
(Public Representative). Section II also
establishes comment deadline(s)
pertaining to each request.
The public portions of the Postal
Service’s request(s) can be accessed via
the Commission’s website (https://
www.prc.gov). Non-public portions of
the Postal Service’s request(s), if any,
can be accessed through compliance
with the requirements of 39 CFR
3011.301.1
The Commission invites comments on
whether the Postal Service’s request(s)
in the captioned docket(s) are consistent
with the policies of title 39. For
request(s) that the Postal Service states
concern market dominant product(s),
applicable statutory and regulatory
requirements include 39 U.S.C. 3622, 39
U.S.C. 3642, 39 CFR part 3030, and 39
CFR part 3040, subpart B. For request(s)
that the Postal Service states concern
competitive product(s), applicable
statutory and regulatory requirements
include 39 U.S.C. 3632, 39 U.S.C. 3633,
39 U.S.C. 3642, 39 CFR part 3035, and
39 CFR part 3040, subpart B. Comment
deadline(s) for each request appear in
section II.
II. Docketed Proceeding(s)
1. Docket No(s).: MC2021–4 and
CP2021–4; Filing Title: USPS Request to
Add Priority Mail Contract 668 to
Competitive Product List and Notice of
Filing Materials Under Seal; Filing
Acceptance Date: October 5, 2020;
Filing Authority: 39 U.S.C. 3642, 39 CFR
3040.130 through 3040.135, and 39 CFR
3035.105; Public Representative:
1 See Docket No. RM2018–3, Order Adopting
Final Rules Relating to Non-Public Information,
June 27, 2018, Attachment A at 19–22 (Order No.
4679).
E:\FR\FM\09OCN1.SGM
09OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 197 (Friday, October 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64175-64178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22371]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-237 and 50-249; NRC-2020-0223]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Dresden Nuclear Power Station,
Units 2 and 3
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Exemption; issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued an
exemption from regulatory requirements for Dresden Nuclear Power
Station, Units 2 and 3, in response to a October 21, 2019, request from
Exelon Generation Company, LLC in order to permit exclusion of main
steam isolation valve (MSIV) leakage from the overall integrated leak
rate Type A test measurement, and MSIV pathway leakage contributions
from the combined leakage rate of all penetrations and valves subject
to Type B and Type C tests.
DATES: The exemption was issued on October 5, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0223 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0223. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public
Document Room reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by
email to [email protected]. The ADAMS accession number for each
document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first
time that it is mentioned in this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Russell S. Haskell, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1129, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the exemption is attached.
Dated: October 5, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Russell S. Haskell,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Attachment--Exemption
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Docket Nos. 50-237 and 50-249
Exelon Generation Company, LLC, Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2
and 3
Exemption
I. Background
Exelon Generation Company, LLC (EGC, the licensee) is the holder of
Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-19 and DPR-25, which authorize
operation of the Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3 (DNPS).
The licenses provide, among other things, that the facilities are
subject to the rules, regulations, and orders of the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) now or hereafter in effect.
The facilities each consist of a boiling, light-water reactor located
in Grundy County, Illinois.
II. Request/Action
In its letter dated October 21, 2019, as supplemented by letters
dated May 6, 2020, and August 24, 2020 (Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Accession Nos. ML19294A304, ML20127H891, and
ML20237F317, respectively), EGC requested a permanent exemption from
the Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
Appendix J, Option B, Section III.A requirements in order to permit
exclusion of main steam isolation valve (MSIV) leakage from the overall
integrated leak rate Type A test measurement, and from Option B,
Section III.B, requirements to permit exclusion of the MSIV pathway
leakage contributions from the combined leakage rate of all
penetrations and valves subject to Type B and Type C tests. EGC also
requested a revision to Technical Specification (TS) 3.6.1.3, ``Primary
Containment Isolation Valves (PCIVs),'' Surveillance Requirement (SR)
3.6.1.3.10, that would revise the single and combined MSIV leakage rate
limits; an addition of a new TS 3.6.2.6, ``Drywell Spray,'' to reflect
the crediting of drywell spray for fission product removal; and a
revision to TS 3.6.4.1, ``Secondary Containment,'' SR 3.6.4.1.1, to
address short-duration conditions during which the secondary
containment pressure may not meet the SR pressure requirement at DNPS.
The license amendment requests are addressed separately.
Under Part 50 of 10 CFR, paragraph 50.54(o), primary reactor
containments for water-cooled power reactors are subject to the
requirements of Appendix J to 10 CFR part 50. Appendix J specifies the
leakage rate test requirements, schedules, and acceptance criteria for
tests of the leak-tight integrity of the reactor containment and
systems and components that penetrate the containment. Option B of 10
CFR 50, Appendix J, ``Performance-Based Requirements,'' paragraph
III.A, ``Type A Test,'' requires, among other things, that the overall
integrated leakage rate must not exceed the allowable leakage rate
(La) with margin, as specified in the TSs. The overall
integrated leakage rate is defined in 10 CFR part 50, Appendix J, as
``the total leakage rate through all tested leakage paths, including
containment welds, valves, fittings, and components that penetrate the
containment system.'' This includes the
[[Page 64176]]
contribution through the four main steam lines where each line contains
two MSIVs in series. Paragraph III.B, ``Type B and C Tests,'' requires,
among other things, that the sum of the leakage rates of Type B and
Type C local leakage rate tests be less than the performance criterion
(La) with margin as specified in the TSs. The allowable
leakage rates set in the TSs ensure that the required dose limits, such
as in 10 CFR 50.67, ``Accident source term,'' will not be exceeded.
This requested exemption concerns the main steam system, which
penetrates containment. The radiological consequences of MSIV leakage
are modeled as a separate primary containment release path to the
environment that bypasses secondary containment because MSIV leakage is
not filtered through the standby gas treatment system like other
containment leakage. The design-basis LOCA dose calculation assumes all
MSIV leakage migrates to the turbine building and then to the
environment. By currently including the main steam pathway leakage with
the rest of the primary containment leakage test results, it is being
accounted for twice: once as part of the actual containment leakage and
again as part of the MSIV leakage used in the LOCA dose calculations.
III. Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the Commission may, upon application by
any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from
the requirements of 10 CFR part 50 when (1) the exemptions are
authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to public health or
safety, and are consistent with the common defense and security; and
(2) when special circumstances as described in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(i)-
(vi) are present. The licensee asserted that special circumstances are
present under 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii) because the application of the
regulation in the particular circumstances would not serve the
underlying purpose of the rule or is not necessary to achieve the
underlying purpose of the rule.
The licensee submitted this exemption request as part of a license
amendment request to increase the allowable MSIV leakage rate, which if
approved, would permit an increase in allowable MSIV leakage rate that
is excluded from the overall integrated leak rate Type A test
measurement and excluded from the combined Type B and Type C test
total. The licensee described its view on the special circumstances
associated with the MSIV leakage path testing in its application dated
October 21, 2019.
A. The Exemption Is Authorized by Law
This exemption permits exclusion of the MSIV pathway leakage
contribution from the overall integrated leakage rate Type A test
measurement and from the combined leakage rate of all penetrations and
valves subject to Type B and Type C tests. As stated above, 10 CFR
50.12 allows the NRC to grant exemptions from the requirements of 10
CFR part 50. The NRC staff has determined that granting the licensee's
proposed exemption will not result in a violation of the Atomic Energy
Act of 1954, as amended, or the Commission's regulations. Therefore,
the exemption is authorized by law.
B. The Exemption Presents No Undue Risk to Public Health and Safety
Type A tests to measure the containment system overall integrated
leakage rate must be conducted under conditions representing design-
basis LOCA containment peak pressure. Type B pneumatic tests to detect
and measure local leakage rates across pressure retaining, leakage-
limiting boundaries, and Type C pneumatic tests to measure containment
isolation valve leakage rates, must be conducted to ensure the
integrity of the overall containment system as a barrier to fission
product release to reduce the risk from reactor accidents.
In license Amendment Nos. 221 and Amendment 212 dated September 11,
2006 (ADAMS Accession No. ML062070290), the NRC approved the use of the
alternative source term (as prescribed in 10 CFR 50.67) in the
calculations of the radiological dose consequences of design-basis
accidents, including the design-basis LOCA, for DNPS. The NRC staff's
safety evaluation accompanying these amendments acknowledged that once
fission products are dispersed in the primary containment, their
release to the environment is assumed to occur through three pathways:
(1) The leakage of primary containment atmosphere; (2) the leakage of
primary containment atmosphere through MSIVs; and (3) the leakage from
emergency core cooling systems that recirculate suppression pool water
outside of the primary containment. As noted above, however, leakage
through the MSIVs is considered a separate pathway and is calculated as
a separate contributor to the dose consequence analysis. As such, the
inclusion of MSIV leakage as part of Type A and as part of Type B and C
test results is not necessary to ensure the actual radiological
consequences of design-basis accidents remain below the regulatory
limit.
The proposed exemption does not create any new accident precursors.
Therefore, the probability of postulated accidents is not increased.
Also, the consequences of postulated accidents are not significantly
changed from the previously evaluated consequences associated with the
design-basis LOCA as described in the alternative source term
amendments. Therefore, there is no undue risk to public health and
safety.
C. The Exemption is Consistent With the Common Defense and Security
The proposed exemption excludes the MSIV pathway leakage
contribution from the overall integrated leakage rate Type A test
measurement and from the combined leakage rate of all penetrations and
valves subject to Type B and Type C tests. This change to accounting
for leakage rate measurement has no relation to security issues.
Therefore, the exemption is consistent with the common defense and
security.
D. Special Circumstances
Under 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii) special circumstances include when,
``[a]pplication of the regulation in the particular circumstances would
not serve the underlying purpose of the rule or is not necessary to
achieve the underlying purpose of the rule.''
The test requirements in Appendix J to 10 CFR part 50 ensure that
leakage through containments or systems and components penetrating
containments does not exceed allowable leakage rates specified in the
technical specifications, and integrity of the containment structure is
maintained during its service life. Option B of Appendix J identifies
the performance-based requirements and criteria for preoperational and
subsequent periodic leakage-rate testing.
The licensee has analyzed the main steam pathway leakage separately
from the overall containment integrated leakage; the local leakage
across pressure-containing or leakage-limiting boundaries; and the
containment isolation valve leakage in its dose consequence analyses.
The dose consequences were found to be within the applicable acceptance
criteria in 10 CFR 50.67, ``Accident source term,'' and the guidance of
NRC Regulatory Guide 1.183, Revision 0, ``Alternative Radiological
Source Terms for Evaluating Design Basis Accidents at Nuclear Power
Reactors,'' dated July 2000 (ADAMS Accession No. ML003716792). The
staff has reviewed the licensee's analysis and determined that the dose
consequences of implementing the proposed change are
[[Page 64177]]
below the applicable acceptance criteria and the containment leaks will
continue to be limited by the DNPS TSs.
Therefore, because the underlying purposes of 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix J, are still achieved, the special circumstances required by
10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii) for the granting of an exemption from 10 CFR
part 50, Appendix J, Option B, Sections lII.A and III.B, exist.
E. Environmental Considerations
The NRC staff determined that the issuance of the requested
exemption meets the provisions of categorical exclusion 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25) because there is: (i) No significant hazards
consideration; (ii) no significant change in the types or significant
increase in the amounts of any effluents that may be released offsite;
(iii) no significant increase in individual or cumulative public or
occupational radiation exposure; (iv) no significant construction
impact; (v) no significant increase in the potential for or
consequences from radiological accidents; and (vi) the requirements
from which an exemption is sought involve inspection or surveillance
requirements. Therefore, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.22(b), no
environmental impact statement or environmental assessment need be
prepared in connection with the NRC's issuance of this exemption. The
basis for the NRC staff's determination is provided in the following
evaluation of the requirements in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(i)-(vi).
Requirements in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(i)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion under 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(i), the exemption must involve ``no significant hazards
consideration.'' The NRC staff evaluated whether the exemption involves
no significant hazards consideration by using the standards in 10 CFR
50.92(c), as presented below:
1. Does the requested exemption involve a significant increase in
the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed exemption would permit exclusion of the MSIV pathway
leakage contribution from the overall integrated leakage rate Type A
test measurement and from the sum of the leakage rates from Type B and
Type C tests. The leakage of primary containment atmosphere through
MSIVs is accounted for as a separate contributor to the design-basis
LOCA dose consequence analysis. This exemption will allow the leakage
testing to be performed in a manner consistent with the way MSIV
leakage is modeled in the revised radiological consequence analysis
submitted as part of the related license amendment request submitted in
the letter dated October 21, 2019, as supplemented by letter dated May
6, 2020. This change to the leakage rate measurement does not increase
the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
Therefore, the exemption does not involve a significant increase in
the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
2. Does the requested exemption create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed exemption does not involve a physical modification to
the plant (i.e., no new or different type of equipment will be
installed and there are no physical modifications to existing equipment
associated with the proposed change). Similarly, it does not physically
change any structures, systems, or components involved in the
mitigation of any accidents.
Therefore, the exemption does not create the possibility of a new
or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated.
3. Does the requested exemption involve a significant reduction in
a margin of safety?
Response: No.
The proposed exemption does not alter a design basis or safety
limit nor cause a limit to be exceeded. The proposed exemption allows
the results of the TS required MSIV leakage pathway tests to no longer
be accounted for as part of the overall integrated leakage rate Type A
test measurement and as part of the sum of the local leakage rates from
Type B and Type C tests. This change only affects which leakage rates
are included in the Types A, B, and C results. This exemption will
allow the leakage testing to be performed in a manner consistent with
the way MSIV leakage is modeled in the revised radiological consequence
analysis submitted as part of the related license amendment request.
Therefore, the exemption does not involve a significant reduction
in a margin of safety.
Based on the evaluation above, the NRC staff has determined that
the proposed exemption involves no significant hazards consideration.
Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(i) are met.
Requirements in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(ii)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion under 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(ii), the exemption must result in ``no significant change
in the types or significant increase in the amounts of any effluents
that may be released offsite.'' The proposed exemption allows the
results of the TS-required MSIV leakage pathway tests to be accounted
for only as part of the design-basis LOCA consequence analysis. This
change only affects the total in which the leakage rates are included
and does not change the frequency or pressure at which the testing must
be performed. The underlying purpose of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix J, is
to demonstrate by periodic testing and visual inspection that the
primary reactor containment will be able to perform its function of
providing an essentially leak-tight barrier against uncontrolled
release of radioactivity to the environment. The inclusion of the MSIV
leakage testing results in the design-basis LOCA serves the same
purpose as the inclusion in the rate Type A test measurement and the
sum of the leakage rates from Type B and Type C tests required by
Appendix J, Option B, paragraphs III.A and III.B. Therefore, the
proposed exemption will not significantly change the types of effluents
that may be released offsite, or significantly increase the amount of
effluents that may be released offsite. Therefore, the requirements of
10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(ii) are met.
Requirements in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iii)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion under 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(iii), the exemption must result in ``no significant
increase in individual or cumulative public or occupational radiation
exposure.'' The proposed exemption permits the exclusion of the MSIV
leakage pathway results from the Type A test measurement and the sum of
the leakage rates from Type B and Type C tests required by Appendix J,
Option B, paragraphs III.A and III.B, and has no impact on, or change
to, fuel or core design. Additionally, the TSs still require that the
MSIV leakage rates be tested and maintained below set limits. As such,
the calculated public and occupational doses will remain essentially
the same. Therefore, the proposed exemption will not significantly
increase individual or cumulative public or occupational radiation
exposure. Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iii) are
met.
Requirement in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iv)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion under 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(iv), the exemption must result in ``no significant
construction impact.'' The exemption does propose any changes to the
site,
[[Page 64178]]
alter the site, or change the operation of the site. Therefore, there
is no significant construction impact. Therefore, the requirements of
10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(iv) are met.
Requirement in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(v)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion under 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(v), the exemption must involve ``no significant increase
in the potential for or consequences from radiological accidents.'' The
proposed exemption does not remove the requirement to perform leakage
rate testing of the MSIVs. This exemption will allow the leakage
testing to be performed in a manner consistent with the way MSIV
leakage is modeled in the revised radiological consequence analysis
submitted as part of the related license amendment request. Therefore,
this change to the leakage rate measurement does not result in a
significant increase in the potential for or consequences from
radiological accidents. Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(v) are met.
Requirement in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(vi)
To qualify for a categorical exclusion under 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(vi)(C), the exemption must involve inspection or
surveillance requirements. The exemption seeks to permit exclusion of
the MSIV leakage from the overall integrated leak rate Type A test
measurement and the combined leakage rate of all penetrations and
valves subject to Type B and Type C tests required by Appendix J to 10
CFR part 50. Appendix J specifies the leakage rate test requirements,
schedules, and acceptance criteria for tests of the leak-tight
integrity of the reactor containment, and systems and components that
penetrate the containment. Therefore, the exemption involves a
surveillance requirement. Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR
51.22(c)(25)(vi) are met.
Conclusion
Based on the above, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed
exemption meets the eligibility criteria for the categorical exclusion
set forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25). Therefore, in accordance with 10 CFR
51.22(b), no environmental impact statement or environmental assessment
need be prepared in connection with the NRC's issuance of this
exemption.
IV. Conclusions
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR
50.12, the exemption is authorized by law, will not present an undue
risk to the public health and safety, and is consistent with the common
defense and security. Also, special circumstances are present.
Therefore, the Commission hereby grants EGC a permanent exemption (1)
from the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix J, Option B, Section
III.A, to allow exclusion of the MSIV pathway leakage from the overall
integrated leakage rate measured when performing a Type A test; and (2)
from the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix J, Option B, Section
III.B, to allow exclusion of the MSIV pathway leakage from the combined
leakage rate of all penetrations and valves subject to Types B and C
tests for DNPS.
This exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated: 5th day of October 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David J. Wrona,
Acting Deputy Director, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2020-22371 Filed 10-8-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
