ML21322A219

Letter to K. Manzione - Review Schedule Delay for the Holtec HI-STORE CISF License Application

ML21322A219
Person / Time
Site:	HI-STORE
Issue date:	11/19/2021
From:	John Mckirgan Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch
To:	Manzione K Holtec
References
CAC 001028, EPID L-2018-NEW-0001
Download: ML21322A219 (3)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 November 19, 2021 Ms. Kimberly Manzione Licensing Manager Holtec International Holtec Technology Campus One Holtec Boulevard Camden, NJ 08104

SUBJECT:

HOLTEC INTERNATIONALS APPLICATION FOR SPECIFIC INDEPENDENT SPENT FUEL STORAGE INSTALLATION LICENSE FOR THE HI-STORE CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STORAGE FACILITY FOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL - REVIEW SCHEDULE DELAY

Dear Ms. Manzione:

By letter dated March 30, 2017 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML17115A431), as supplemented, Holtec International (Holtec) submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) an application for a specific independent spent fuel storage installation license to construct and operate the HI-STORE Consolidated Interim Storage (CIS) Facility, in Lea County, New Mexico, in accordance with the requirements of Part 72 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Licensing Requirements for the Independent Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level Radioactive Waste and Reactor-Related Greater than Class C Waste. The license application seeks NRC approval to store up to 8,680 metric tons of commercial spent nuclear fuel in the HI-STORM UMAX Canister Storage System for a 40-year license term.

On May 20, 2021, NRC staff issued a second request for additional information (RAI) in connection with its safety review of the license application (ML21124A308). On June 3, Holtec notified NRC that it would provide responses to the NRC staffs RAI on three separate dates, to be completed by August 30, 2021 (ML21154A209). On July 2, 2021, the NRC staff revised the schedule for the completion of the safety, security, and environmental reviews (ML21181A389).

In its letter, the NRC staff stated that it expected to publish the final environmental impact statement by November 2021, and its final safety evaluation report (SER) by January 2022.

This schedule assumed that Holtec would provide complete, timely, and high-quality responses to the NRC staffs requests for additional information (RAIs), and that no follow-up RAIs would be necessary. If additional RAIs were necessary, the NRC staff would revise its schedule accordingly. However, on October 29, 2021, Holtec submitted a supplement to its August 16, 2021, responses (ML21304A003). This supplement contains substantial calculation packages referenced in the structural and thermal evaluation of the safety analysis report (SAR) for the proposed facility. These additional analyses were not included in Holtecs previous RAI responses, submitted on June 30, August 16, and August 31, 2021.

The NRC staff reviewed Holtecs responses to the second round RAIs (with the exception of the October 29, 2021, submission) and determined that some of the responses require additional supplementation or revisions before staff can complete its detailed review and make the

K. Manzione 2 required regulatory compliance findings. Due to these deficiencies and the delay in Holtec providing complete responses by the August 30, 2021, date, the NRC staff determined that it will not be able to complete its safety and security review and publish a final SER by January 2022. In addition, the NRC staff will also adjust the publication date of the final environmental impact statement to coordinate with the revised final SER schedule.

The specific issues that the NRC staff has identified for resolution include: 1) justification for the computational code used for gas pipeline hazard analyses; 2) justification of the model assumptions and references used for site flooding hazards analyses; 3) clarification of the offsite boundary dose calculation results; and 4) editorial clarifications and revisions for the structural, operations, materials, and aging management evaluation chapters.

Within the next month, the staff will issue a letter transmitting a third set of RAIs discussing the remaining issues identified in each of your responses and the information needed to complete its safety evaluation and compliance findings. In this letter, the staff will request that Holtec provide, within two weeks of receipt, a proposed schedule for submitting responses to the staffs RAI. The NRC staff will issue a revised schedule for the publication of the final EIS and final SER after it receives your RAI responses and conducts a review of the revised and/or supplemental information. In addition, during the following weeks the NRC staff will schedule clarification calls and meetings with your staff to discuss these matters and ensure common understanding of the remaining issues.

If you have any questions regarding these matters, please contact Mr. Jose R. Cuadrado, Project Manager, at (301) 415-0606.

Sincerely, Signed by McKirgan, John on 11/19/21 John McKirgan, Chief Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 72-1051 CAC/EPID No.: 001028/

L-2018-NEW-0001

Ltr ML21322A219 OFFICE NMSS/DFM/STLB NMSS/DFM/STLB RES/DE JCuadrado-Caraballo NAME WWheatley WW JMcKirgan JM JC DATE Nov 18, 2021 Nov 19, 2021 Nov 19, 2021