ML20196L764

Summary of June 30, 2020, Public Meeting with Nuclear Industry to Discuss Path Forward for Licensing and Oversight with Respect to COVID-19 Impacts

ML20196L764
Person / Time
Issue date:	07/20/2020
From:	Geoffrey Miller Plant Licensing Branch II
To:	Markley M Plant Licensing Branch II
Miller G
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Download: ML20196L764 (4)

Text

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July 20, 2020 MEMORANDUM TO:

Michael T. Markley, Chief Plant Licensing Branch II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM:

G. E. Miller, Project Manager /RA/

Plant Licensing Branch II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

SUMMARY

OF JUNE 30, 2020, PUBLIC MEETING WITH NUCLEAR INDUSTRY TO DISCUSS PATH FORWARD FOR LICENSING AND OVERSIGHT WITH RESPECT TO COVID-19 IMPACTS On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff held a public teleconference1 with representatives from the nuclear industry, including the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), NextEra, and Entergy. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss with NEI, nuclear power plant licensees, and identified stakeholders, potential future licensing and oversight issues related to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).

At the start of the meeting, the NRC staff stated that the meeting was an information gathering dialogue only, and as with all NRC public meetings, no regulatory decisions will be made.

Additionally, the NRC stated that none of the information provided in the meeting should be taken to be a request by any licensee or a decision by the NRC.

Dr. Mirela Gavrilas, Deputy Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) made opening remarks. The meeting was then turned over to NEI, Entergy, NextEra, and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) to make opening remarks.

Following industry opening remarks, James Danna, Chief, Plant Licensing Branch I, in the Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, and Phil McKenna, Chief, Oversight and Support Branch, in the Division of Reactor Oversight, discussed NRC lessons learned2 related to the COVIDE-19 Public Health Emergency. Tom Basso of NEI, supported by other industry representatives provided a presentation3 on industry lessons learned. Dr. Edwin Lyman of UCS provided additional stakeholder perspective including:

NRC should consider and account for cumulative effects 1 The Notice for the public meeting is available in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML20181A162.

2 The NRC slides are available under ADAMS Accession No. ML20182A229.

3 The Industry slides are available under ADAMS Accession No. ML20178A420.

Questioned how cyber security was considered in inspection activities conducted in a remote manner; and Questioned whether the licensees were sufficiently transparent with the NRC to enable effective inspection and evaluation of licensing requests.

Following the discussion on lessons learned, the NRC staff provided a response to questions that had been provided by NEI4 in support of the meeting. The NRC staff indicated the following:

NRC will ensure that adequate protection of public health and safety and the common defense and security is preserved for all requests and situations.

NRC staff will consider statutory requirements, cumulative impacts on safety and security, and site-specific conditions including regional and local circumstances in determining whether to grant requests to extend exemptions, as well as whether existing exemptions may need to be modified or withdrawn.

The basis for the licensee hardships is not the declaration of the PHE itself, but the effects of the needed response to it.

The NRC expects licensees to restore compliance with the regulations before the expiration of any issued exemptions. There is sufficient flexibility in the regulations to seek extensions, if needed, before such expiration.

Licensees may propose expiration dates beyond those originally described in previous correspondence to the industry, but in all cases will need to provide adequate justification for the expiration date proposed.

The NRC will consider all requests on a case-by-case basis and consider site-specific conditions in its review.

Where concerns that state or local requirements may conflict with the NRCs requirements, licensees should contact their assigned Project Manager to discuss the potential conflict.

In response to the questions received from UCS, the NRC staff clarified that remote access equipment furnished to NRC staff for remote inspection fell within the existing licensee cybersecurity program and that each NRC employee is given a unique login and access controls. Further, the NRC staff identified that, even with reduced onsite presence, the NRC staff is still able to independently verify licensee actions sufficiently to ensure reasonable assurance of adequate protection.

No regulatory decisions were made in the meeting.

Questions and/or comments were received from the following members of the public:

Steven Dolley, S&P Global David Kraft, Nuclear Energy Information Service Tim Judson, Nuclear Information and Resource Service Paul Gunter, Beyond Nuclear

Enclosure:

List of Attendees 4 The questions provided by NEI are available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML20178A428.

Enclosure LIST OF ATTENDEES JUNE 30, 2020, PUBLIC MEETING WITH THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY TO DISCUSS PATH FORWARD FOR LICENSING AND OVERSIGHT WITH RESPECT TO COVID-10 IMPACTS Name Organization Mirela Gavrilas NRC/NRR Craig Erlanger NRC/NRR Anna Bradford NRC/NRR Russ Felts NRC/NSIR Greg Bowman NRC/NRR Mohamed Shams NRC/NRR Ed Miller NRC/NRR Scott Burnell NRC/OPA Tom Basso NEI Jennifer Uhle NEI George Gelrich Exelon Shanon Refferty-Czincila Exelon Cheryl Gayheart SNC Dave Mannai PSEG Steve Catron NextEra Stephen Geier NEI Mike O'Keefe Certrec Robert Krsek NRC Steve Bloom NRC/NRR Steven Dolley S&P Global Tim Judson NIRS Ron Gaston Entergy Rodney Brown Energy Compliance Consultants

ML20196L774 (Package)

ML20196L764 (Summary)

ML20181A162 (Meeting Notice)

• via e-mail OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/PM*

NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/LA*

NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/BC*

NAME EMiller KGoldstein MMarkley (VThomas for)

DATE 07/20/2020 07/17/2020 07/20/2020 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/PM*

NAME EMiller DATE 07/20/2020