ML23067A301
| ML23067A301 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 99902052 |
| Issue date: | 03/14/2023 |
| From: | Beverly Smith, Tabatabai-Yazdi O NRC/NRR/DNRL/NRLB |
| To: | Volkoff J NuScale |
| References | |
| Download: ML23067A301 (1) | |
Text
March 14, 2023 Mr. John Volkoff Manager, Combined License Applications NuScale Power, LLC 1100 Circle Boulevard, Suite 200 Corvallis, OR 97330
SUBJECT:
PREAPPLICATION READINESS ASSESSMENT PLAN OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS FOR THE CARBON FREE POWER PROJECT LIMITED WORK AUTHORIZATION AND COMBINED LICENSE APPLICATION
Dear Mr. Volkoff:
By letters dated February 23, 2023, NuScale Power, LLC (NuScale) requested the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff to conduct a partial preapplication readiness assessment of the draft Chapters 8 and 9 of the environmental report (ER) for the combined license application (COLA)1, and a phased readiness assessment of the ER for the limited work authorization (LWA)2. NuScale, on behalf of Carbon Free Power Project, LLC (CFPP), plans to submit an LWA and a COLA to the NRC in July 2023 and in January 2024, respectively.
The readiness assessment is not part of the NRCs official acceptance review process. The readiness assessment of the NuScale ERs, in support of the CFPP LWA and COLA, will allow the NRC staff to understand the level of detail in the ERs and identify any major issues or information gaps between the draft ERs and the technical content required to be included in the LWA and COLA ERs submitted to the NRC. As such, the observations from the readiness assessment do not predetermine whether the LWA or COLA will be docketed upon submittal.
The attached readiness assessment plan provides the details and logistics of the readiness assessment activities for the LWA and COLA.
1 Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML23054A263 2 ML23054A250
J. Volkoff If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Mr. Omid Tabatabai, Senior Project Manager, at (301) 415-6616 or Omid.Tabatabai@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Brian W. Smith, Director Division of New and Renewed Licenses Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No.: 99902052
Enclosure:
Readiness Assessment Plan cc w/enclosure: CFPP ListServ Brian W.
Smith Digitally signed by Brian W. Smith Date: 2023.03.14 12:38:09 -04'00'
- via email NRR-106 OFFICE NRR/DNRL/NRLB: PM NRR/DNRL/NLIB: LA NMSS/REFS/ERNRB: PM NAME OTabatabai SGreen*
DBarnhurst*
DATE 03/08/2023 03/08/2023 03/13/2023 OFFICE NMSS/REFS/ERNRB: BC NRR/DNRL/NRLB: BC NRR/DNRL: DD NAME KErwin*
MDudek*
BSmith*
DATE 03/13/2023 03/13/2023 03/14/2023
Enclosure PREAPPLICATION READINESS ASSESSMENT PLAN OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS FOR THE CARBON FREE POWER PROJECT LIMITED WORK AUTHORIZATION AND COMBINED LICENSE APPLICATION Docket No. 99902052 LOCATION NuScale Electronic Reading Room (eRR)
PURPOSE NuScale Power, LLC (NuScale), on behalf of Carbon Free Power Project, LLC (CFPP), has requested the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff to conduct a preapplication readiness assessment (hereinafter readiness assessment) of the draft environmental reports (ERs) for the CFPP limited work authorization (LWA) and combined license application (COLA) before the LWA and COLA are submitted to the NRC for a formal review.
The readiness assessment will allow the NRC staff to:
identify information gaps between the draft submittals and the technical content required in the LWA and COLA ERs submitted to the NRC, identify major technical or policy issues that may adversely impact the docketing or technical review of the LWA and/or COLA ERs, and become familiar with the LWA and COLA ERs, particularly in areas where NuScale is proposing new concepts or novel features.
The observations from the readiness assessment will inform NuScale/CFPP in finalizing the LWA and COLA ERs and assist the NRC staff in planning the resources in preparation for the formal review of the LWA and COLA ERs.
BACKGROUND By letters dated February 23, 2023 (ML23054A263 and ML23054A250), NuScale, on behalf of CFPP, requested the NRC staff to conduct a preapplication readiness assessment of the Chapter 8, Need for Power, and Chapter 9, Environmental Impacts of Alternatives, in the draft ERs for the ER for COLA and a phased readiness assessment of the LWA prior to submitting the LWA in July 2023 and the COLA in January 2024.
SCOPE OF THE READINESS ASSESSMENT The staffs readiness assessment is limited to the draft ER for CFPPs LWA, and a partial readiness assessment review of Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 of the ER for COLA.
2 INFORMATION AND OTHER MATERIAL NECESSARY FOR THE READINESS ASSESSMENT NuScales letters dated February 23, 2023, propose select portions of the draft ER for the LWA and COLA for the staffs readiness assessment review. NuScale requested the staff to conduct the readiness reviews according to the following schedule:
Phased readiness assessment of the draft ER for LWA:
March 2023, Phase 1, Sections: 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 2.1 April 2023, Phase 2, Sections: 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.8, and 2.9 May 2023, Phase 3, Sections: 2.2, 2.7, and 3.3, Content overview discussions for Chapter 4, Chapter 7, Chapter 10, Appendix A, and Appendix B Partial Readiness Assessment of Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 of the draft ER for COLA:
April 2023, Partial readiness assessment of Chapter 8, Need for Power, and Chapter 9, Environmental Impacts of Alternatives, of COLA, Part 3, ER.
READINESS ASSESSMENT TEAM The following table shows the technical review areas and the responsible staff.
3 Names of additional reviewers will be provided when contract is awarded, and contract staff are assigned to sections.
Review Area (Chapters and Sections correspond to those in RG 4.2)
Reviewers3 Readiness Assessment 1:
LWA draft ER: Sections: 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 2.1 Dan Barnhurst (Daniel.Barnhurst@nrc.gov)
Gerry Stirewalt (Gerry.Stirewalt@nrc.gov)
Peyton Doub (Peyton.Doub@nrc.gov)
Readiness Assessment 2:
LWA draft ER: Sections: 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.8, and 2.9 COLA Draft ER Chapters 8.0 and 9.0 Peyton Doub (Peyton.Doub@nrc.gov)
Joe OHara (Joe.O'Hara@nrc.gov)
Gerry Stirewalt (Gerry.Stirewalt@nrc.gov)
Don Palmrose (Donald.Palmrose@nrc.gov)
Dan Barnhurst (Daniel.Barnhurst@nrc.gov)
Brian Glowacki (Brian.Glowacki@nrc.gov)
Readiness Assessment 3:
LWA draft ER: Sections: 2.2, 2.7, and 3.3 Content overview discussions for Chapter 4, Chapter 7, Chapter 10, Appendix A, and Appendix B Dan Barnhurst (Daniel.Barnhurst@nrc.gov)
Brian Glowacki (Brian.Glowacki@nrc.gov)
Gerry Stirewalt (Gerry.Stirewalt@nrc.gov)
Peyton Doub (Peyton.Doub@nrc.gov)
3 LOGISTICS The staff plans to conduct the readiness assessments virtually on NuScales eRR. A virtual entrance meeting is scheduled on March 20, 2023, following the posting of the available sections for the staffs review according to Phase 1 of the LWA readiness assessment. The NRC staff will conduct the readiness assessment review in accordance with the Carbon Free Power Project Online Reference Portal Information Access Agreement, dated March 7, 2023 (ML23037A015.) The staff will conduct an exit meeting at the end of each review phase. The staff will stive to complete the review of each phase within two weeks after the entrance meeting for each phase of the readiness assessment review. Daily debriefings with NuScale and CFPP will be scheduled as needed.
Review Approach The staffs readiness assessments will be conducted by qualified NRC reviewers and/or contractors who are technical experts in the review sections assigned to them.
The Project Team will conduct a streamlined readiness assessment that includes the following aspects:
NuScale has voluntarily requested a readiness assessment be performed by the NRC staff in a targeted and streamlined manner, NRC will control phase and session attendance and will specify charging codes for technical reviewers, NRC will implement the assessment in two-week phases on specified engagements areas (i.e., on chapters and/or topics),
NuScale will provide tailored presentations and discussions to staff, NRC will implement real-time problem/issue identification and documentation via SharePoint, NRC will provide daily hotwashes and real-time feedback to NuScale, NRC will facilitate weekly management discussions on the assessments progress (NRC to NRC, and NRC to NuScale),
NRC will target to complete all readiness assessments by the end of May 2023, as requested by NuScale. The technical reviewers will perform the review consistent with the NRC Office Instructions LIC-116, Preapplication Readiness Assessment (ML20104B698).
4 READINESS ASSESSMENT OBSERVATIONS The NRC will send the readiness assessment observations on a weekly basis, while also including any identified technical concerns or major information gaps, to NuScale in a publicly available report that will also summarize the scope of the readiness assessment within 2 weeks of the assessments completion. LIC-116 delineates the timeline for the final report to be completed withing 45 calendar days of completion of the readiness assessment and it is anticipated that this readiness assessment will require approximately 200 hours0.00231 days <br />0.0556 hours <br />3.306878e-4 weeks <br />7.61e-5 months <br /> by the staff and contractors to complete. To protect the applicants proprietary information, if needed, the staff will issue a proprietary version of the readiness assessment report. The staffs expectation is that NuScale will consider the observations from the readiness assessment while finalizing the LWA and COLA and will reevaluate the submittal dates based on its evaluation of the time to address the readiness assessment observations.