ML21006A324

Approval of the Risk-Informed Process for Evaluations

ML21006A324
Person / Time
Site:	Palo Verde
Issue date:	01/07/2021
From:	Ho Nieh Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Craig Erlanger, Mike Franovich Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, NRC/NRR/DRA
Lingam S, 301-415-1564
References
Download: ML21006A324 (3)

Text

January 7, 2021 MEMORANDUM TO: Craig G. Erlanger, Director Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Michael Franovich, Director Division of Risk Assessment Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Digitally signed by Ho K.

FROM: Ho K. Nieh, Director Ho K. Nieh Nieh Date: 2021.01.07 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 14:55:07 -05'00'

SUBJECT:

APPROVAL OF THE RISK-INFORMED PROCESS FOR EVALUATIONS By memorandum dated January 5, 2021, I received a recommendation for my approval (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML20261H475) that would put in place a new process for addressing very low safety significance issues that are within the licensing basis of a plant. This recommendation, referred to as the Risk-Informed Process for Evaluations (RIPE), is the implementation of Recommendation 5 from the low safety significance resolution (LSSIR) working group effort that I endorsed in a memorandum dated February 7, 2020 (ADAMS Accession No. ML20022A032).

RIPE is complementary to the Very Low Safety Significance Issue Resolution (VLSSIR) process that was built into the Reactor Oversight Process in January 2020. RIPE establishes a more efficient means to review licensing actions that address low safety significance (LSS) issues within the licensing basis by leveraging current regulations and risk-informed initiatives to allow licensees to request plant-specific exemptions or license amendments for LSS issues using a streamlined U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) review process. If a licensee elects to use RIPE, it would characterize the risk associated with the proposed exemption or amendment request using the NRCs Guidelines for Analyzing the Safety Impact of Issues (ADAMS Accession No. ML20261H462) and submit its request to the NRC. If the conditions described in the RIPE guidance are met, then the NRC staff would review the request using a streamlined process outlined in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Temporary Staff Guidance TSG-DORL-2021-01, Risk-Informed Process for Evaluations (ADAMS Accession No. ML20261H473). This process ensures that the resources associated with the NRCs review are commensurate with the safety significance of the issue being evaluated.

I approve the RIPE recommendation for implementation in its entirety and direct the staff to conduct a self-assessment of the RIPE process no later than 2 years following implementation of RIPE. NRR staff should continue its efforts to expand the RIPE process to enable a broader set of low safety significance issues to be considered within RIPE and widen the set of licensees who can use RIPE. It is imperative that our regulatory activities at headquarters and

C. Erlanger and M. Franovich the regions are commensurate with the safety significance of the associated issues. If they are not, we are collectively and individually at risk of diminished credibility.

I greatly appreciate the initiative demonstrated by the staff in developing another tool to support the NRCs efforts to become a more modern, risk-informed regulator and I commend all of the staff who worked to develop RIPE.

ML21006A324 *via e-mail OFFICE NRR (D)*

NAME HNieh DATE 1/7/2021