ML24074A453

Request for Withholding Information from Public Disclosure

ML24074A453
Person / Time
Site:	Columbia
Issue date:	04/11/2024
From:	Mahesh Chawla Plant Licensing Branch IV
To:	Schuetz R Energy Northwest
Chawla M
References
EPID L-2024-LRM-0006
Download: ML24074A453 (3)

Text

April 11, 2024

Robert Schuetz Chief Executive Officer Energy Northwest Mail Drop 1023 76 North Power Plant Loop P.O. Box 968 Richland, WA 99352-0968

SUBJECT:

COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION - REQUEST FOR WITHHOLDING INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC DISC LOSURE (EPID L-2024-LRM-0006)

Dear Robert Schuetz:

By letter dated March 11, 2024 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML24071A206), you submitted an affidavit dated March 5, 2024, to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), ex ecuted by Lisa K. Schichlein, Senior Licensing Engineer, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC (GEH), requesting that the information contained in the following proprietary document (attachment 1 of the letter dated March 11, 2024) be withheld from public disclosure pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 2, Section 2.390:

Columbia Replacement Steam Dryer Evaluation Approach for EPU [Extended Power Uprate] Program, dated March 4, 2024

A nonproprietary copy of this document (attachment 2 of the letter dated March 11, 2024) has been placed in the NRCs Public Document Room and added to the NRC Library in ADAMS at the above-referenced Accession No. ML24071A206.

The GEH affidavit dated March 5, 2024, stated that the submitted information should be considered exempt from mandatory public disclosure for the following reasons:

a. Information that discloses a process, method, or apparatus, including supporting data and analyses, where prevention of its use by GEHs competitors without a license from [GEH] constitutes a competitive economic advantage over other companies.

b. Information that, if used by a competitor, would reduce its expenditure of resources or improve its competitive position in the design, manufacture, shipment, installation, assurance of quality, or licensing of a similar product.

We have reviewed your application and the material in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 2.390 and, on the basis of the statements in the affidavit, have determined that the

R. Schuetz - 2 -

submitted information sought to be withheld contains proprietary commercial information and should be withheld from public disclosure.

Therefore, the version of the submitted information marked as proprietary will be withheld from public disclosure pursuant to 10 CFR 2.390(b)(5) and Section 103(b) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

Withholding from public inspection shall not affect the right, if any, of persons properly and directly concerned to inspect the documents. If the need arises, we may send copies of this information to our consultants working in this area. We will, of course, ensure that the consultants have signed the appropriate agreements for handling proprietary information.

If the basis for withholding this information from public inspection should change in the future such that the information could then be made available for public inspection, you should promptly notify the NRC. You also should understand that the NRC may have cause to review this determination in the future, for example, if the scope of a Freedom of Information Act request includes your information. In all revi ew situations, if the NRC makes a determination adverse to the above, you will be notified in advance of any public disclosure.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-8371 or by email to Mahesh.Chawla@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mahesh L. Chawla, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Docket No. 50-397

cc: Listserv

ML24074A453 *by email OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL4/PM* NRR/DORL/LPL4/LA* NRR/DEX/EMIB/BC(A)* NRR/DNRL/NVIB/BC*

NAME TByrd PBlechman TScarbrough ABuford DATE 3/13/2024 3/28/2024 4/8/2024 4/1/2024 OFFICE NRR/DSS/SNSB/BC* NRR/DORL/LPL4/BC* NRR/DORL/LPL4/PM*

NAME PSahd JRankin MChawla DATE 4/8/2024 4/9/2024 4/11/2024