ML23104A314
| ML23104A314 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/17/2023 |
| From: | James Shea NRC/NRR/DNRL/NRLB |
| To: | Hayes M NRC/NRR/DNRL |
| References | |
| Download: ML23104A314 (7) | |
Text
April 17, 2023 MEMORANDUM TO:
Michelle W. Hayes, Chief Licensing and Regulatory Infrastructure Branch Division of New and Renewed Licenses Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM:
James J. Shea, Project Manager /RA/
Licensing and Regulatory Infrastructure Branch Division of New and Renewed Licenses Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS RISK INSIGHTS AND SEVERE ACCIDENT VULNERABILITY INFORMATION FOR LIGHT-WATER REACTOR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATIONS On March 30, 2023, an observation public meeting was held by the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC). The meeting addressed the scope of an application for a light-water reactor construction permit (CP) under Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.34(a) and for approval of design features under § 50.35. The staff is seeking stakeholder input and feedback as it develops guidance on the level of detail on risk insights and severe accident evaluation to be provided in the preliminary safety analysis report.
The following topics were discussed during this meeting:
Describe the reason and objective of the staffs initiative to develop guidance.
Present initial staff considerations for information on risk insights at the CP stage.
Request feedback from public stakeholders for consideration in guidance development.
CONTACT: James Shea, NRR/DNRL 301-415-1366
M. Hayes 2
The NRC issued the public meeting notice on March 16, 2023, and posted it on the NRC public website (Agencywide Documents Access Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML23075A276). Prior to the meeting, NRC staff submitted presentation slides for the meeting (ML23087A210).
Enclosed are the meeting agenda (Enclosure 1), list of attendees of the meeting (Enclosure 2),
and the meeting summary (Enclosure 3).
Enclosures:
- 1. Meeting Agenda
- 2. List of Attendees
- 3. Meeting Summary
Pkg: ML23104A312 Memo: ML23104A314 Slides: ML23087A210
- via email NRR-106 OFFICE NRR/DRA/PRA-C: BC NRR/DNRL/NLIB: PM NRR/DNRL/NLIB: LA NRR/DNRL/NLIB: PM NAME SVasavada*
JShea*
SGreen JShea DATE 04/13/2023 04/14/2023 04/14/2023 04/17/2023
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
SUMMARY
OF THE MARCH 30, 2023, OBSERVATION PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS RISK INSIGHTS AND SEVERE ACCIDENT VULNERABILITY INFORMATION FOR LIGHT-WATER REACTOR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATIONS Meeting Agenda Time Topic Speaker 09:00 am - 09:30 am NRC Introduction and NRC Presentation NRC 09:30 am - 11:00 am Public Questions Public/NRC
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
SUMMARY
OF THE MARCH 30, 2023, OBSERVATION PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS RISK INSIGHTS AND SEVERE ACCIDENT VULNERABILITY INFORMATION FOR LIGHT-WATER REACTOR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATIONS List of Attendees Name Organization Name Organization Jim Shea NRC Alex Huning Holtec Anders Gilbertson NRC Jodine Vehec Holtec Martin Stutzke NRC Raymond Schiele TVA Malcolm Patterson NRC Scott Owen TVA Stacey Rosenberg NRC Dennis Henneke GEH Hanh Phan NRC James Curry GEH Keith Tetter NRC Meena Khanna NRC Elijah Dickson NRC Anne-Marie Grady NRC Marie Pohida NRC Candace de Messieres NRC Steven Alferink NRC Alissa Neuhausen NRC De Wu NRC Sunwoo Park NRC Ian Jung NRC Steven Lynch NRC Greg Oberson NRC Amy Cubbage NRC Joe Sebosky NRC Luis Cruz Rosado NRC
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
SUMMARY
OF THE MARCH 30, 2023, PUBLIC OBSERVATION MEETING TO DISCUSS RISK INSIGHTS AND SEVERE ACCIDENT VULNERABILITY INFORMATION FOR LIGHT-WATER REACTOR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATIONS Meeting Summary The meeting commenced on March 30, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs opening remarks that the NRC anticipates the submission of light-water reactor( LWR) construction permit (CP) applications under Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, over the next few years and described the most recent staff guidance regarding CP applications in Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) DNRL-ISG-2022-01, Safety Review of Light-Water Power Reactor Construction Permit Applications, issued on October, 2022 (ML22189A099). The staff summarized the two-step licensing process under 10 CFR Part 50 that involves first, the issuance of a CP for construction of a power reactor using preliminary design information documented in an applicants preliminary safety analysis report (PSAR) and second, the issuance of an operating license (OL) after submitting a final safety analysis report (FSAR) using the final detailed design information. The FSAR submitted with the OL application should describe in detail the final design of the facility as constructed; identify the changes from the criteria, design, and bases in the PSAR. Before issuing an OL, the NRC staff will review the applicants final design in the FSAR to determine whether all the Commissions safety requirements have been met.
The staffs initiative and this meeting stemmed from the need for guidance identified by external stakeholders who are considering the two-step licensing process under 10 CFR Part 50 to determine the scope and level of detail on risk insights and severe accidents in a CP application. The staff is currently developing guidance and this meeting, as well as future meetings, will be used to get stakeholder feedback on the technical topics included in the guidance. The staff is still determining the vehicle for making this guidance publicly available, including a white paper or a formal ISG.
The staffs guidance would focus on LWRs, including small modular reactors. The staff emphasized that the guidance development includes collaboration with similar efforts for non-LWRs. The staff also emphasized that risk insights at the CP stage of 10 CFR Part 50 does not imply achieving a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) that is technical acceptable when measured against endorsed PRA standards that would be required at the OL stage.
During the meeting, the staff highlighted the potential benefits of incorporating risk insights in the CP application. Throughout the meeting, NRC staff and attendees engaged in constructive dialogue where the staff provided clarifications on the anticipated scope and level of detail for risk insights and severe accident vulnerability information that would be expected in a CP application.
2 Some of the main topics of stakeholder feedback that were discussed and will be considered by the staff in its guidance development were:
- 1. The level of detail that is sufficient in the PSAR compared to information and documents that can be audited during the staffs review of the CP application.
- 2. The level of detail for external event risk assessment, including the use of bounding assessments for such hazards.
- 3. Information about processes to provide confidence that the risk insights and severe accident information will continue to reflect any design changes from the CP to the OL stage.
- 4. The purpose of an independent review of the risk insights and severe accident information. The staff clarified that the level of the independent review would be graded by maturity of the design. The staff further clarified that the value added by a formal peer review, following endorsed guidance, and against an endorsed PRA standard would not add significant value if the design was preliminary.
The meeting concluded with a discussion of the staffs next steps including a future public meeting.