ML24271A054
| ML24271A054 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07109396 |
| Issue date: | 10/07/2024 |
| From: | Yoira Diaz-Sanabria Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch |
| To: | Waksman J US Dept of Defense (DOD) |
| References | |
| EPID L-2022-NFN-0009 | |
| Download: ML24271A054 (1) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 Dr. Jeff Waksman, Program Manager Strategic Capabilities Office U.S. Department of Defense 4755 Meadow Wood Lane Chantilly, VA 20151
SUBJECT:
ENDORSEMENT OF THE RISK ASSESSMENT APPROACH FOR TRANSPORTATION PACKAGE APPROVAL OF THE PROJECT PELE TRANSPORTABLE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT FOR DOMESTIC HIGHWAY SHIPMENT
Dear Dr. Waksman:
By request dated February 20, 2023 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
[ADAMS] Package Accession No. ML23066A201), as supplemented on September 18, 2023 (ML23268A328), on behalf of the Strategic Capabilities Office within the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to review the draft PNNL document Development and Application of Risk Assessment Approach for Transportation Package Approval of a Transportable Nuclear Power Plant for Domestic Highway Shipment. PNNL subsequently published the final report as PNNL-36380, Development and Demonstration of a Risk Assessment Approach for Approval of a Transportation Package of a Transportable Nuclear Power Plant for Domestic Highway Shipment, in August 2024.
Based on the NRCs methodology evaluation issued with the NRC letter dated August 5, 2024 (ML23321A131), the NRC is endorsing PNNL-36380 for a future applicant to use in its application for transport package approval of a DOD transportable micro-reactor to the extent specified and limited in this endorsement. This NRC endorsement of PNNL-36380 includes the methodology used to develop the frequency-consequence plots and the steps needed to determine accident frequency and consequences (see items 1 through 5 in the Summary in PNNL-36380), along with defense-in-depth and sensitivity analyses in the risk-informed methodology. Consistent with PNNL-36380, the NRC endorsement of the risk-informed methodology is limited to scenarios with one road transport per year, two transports in total (one away from and one back to a specified location) for tri-structural isotropic fuel. The NRC notes that the methodology may be able to be used in scenarios where there are multiple shipments per year, but it would require additional considerations and/or justifications to support the additional transports. If an application were to be submitted using the risk-informed methodology in the future, an independent peer review of the future applicants probabilistic risk assessment would be beneficial and make for a more efficient review.
In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 2, Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure, a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) or from the Publicly Available Records component of the NRCs ADAMS. ADAMS is accessible from the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The PDR is open by appointment. To make an appointment to visit the PDR, October 7, 2024 please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
If you have any questions regarding this endorsement, please contact Norma Garcia-Santos at 301-415-6999 or norma.garciasantos@nrc.gov or Daneira Melendez-Colon at 301-415-7295 or daneira.melendez-colon@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Yoira Diaz-Sanabria, Chief Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 71-9396 EPID No. L-2022-NFN-0009 cc: Steve Schilthelm, BWXT Harold Adkins, PNNL Steve Maheras, PNNL Signed by Diaz-Sanabria, Yoira on 10/07/24
ML24271A054 OFFICE NMSS/DFM NMSS/DFM NMSS/DFM NAME BWhiteWWheatley for SFigueroaYDiaz-Sanabria DATE 9/27/2024 9/30/2024 10/7/2024