ML22319A150

FRN Draft SRP 15.0, Introduction - Transient and Accident Analyses

ML22319A150
Person / Time
Issue date:	07/27/2023
From:	Gerond George Licensing Processes Branch
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ML22318A211	List: ML22319A150
References
NRC-2023-0079
Download: ML22319A150 (1)

Text

[7590-01-P]

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2023-0079]

Proposed Revision to Standard Review Plan Section 15.0,

Introduction - Transient and Accident Analyses

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Standard review plan-draft section revision; request for comment.

SUMMARY

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is soliciting public

comment on draft NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety

Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition, Section 15.0, Revision 4,

Introduction - Transient and Accident Analyses. The NRC seeks comments on the

proposed draft section revision of the Standard Review Plan (SRP), concerning the

evaluation of the safety of a nuclear power plant that requires analyses of the plants

responses to postulated equipment failures or malfunctions. Such analyses help to

determine the limiting conditions for operation, limiting safety system settings, and

design specifications for components and systems to protect public health and safety.

DATES: Submit comments by October 2, 2023. Comments received after this date will

be considered, if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able to ensure

consideration only for comments received on or before this date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods; however,

the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the Federal rulemaking

website:

Federal rulemaking website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search

for Docket ID NRC-2023-0079. Address questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov

to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; email: Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individuals listed in the For Further Information Contact

section of this document.

Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program

Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.

For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting comments, see

Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments in the SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ekaterina Lenning, Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-3151, email: Ekaterina.Lenning@nrc.gov and

Brent Ballard, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-0680, email:

Brent.Ballard@nrc.gov. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0079 when contacting the NRC about the

availability of information for this action. You may obtain publicly available information

related to this action by any of the following methods:

Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and

search for Docket ID NRC-2023-0079.

NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System

(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAMS Public

Documents collection at https://www.nr c.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the

search, select Begin Web-based ADAMS Search. For problems with ADAMS, please 2

contact the NRCs Public Document Room (P DR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at

301-415-4737, or by email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. The draft SRP Section 15.0,

Revision 4, Introduction - Transient and Accident Analyses is available in ADAMS

under Accession No. ML22319A149.

NRCs PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public documents, by

appointment, at the NRCs PDR, Room P1 B35, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville

Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make an appointment to visit the PDR, 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.

B. Submitting Comments

The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the Federal

rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please include Docket ID NRC-

2023-0079 in your comment submission.

The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact information that you

do not want to be publicly disclosed in your comment submission. The NRC will post all

comment submissions at https://www.regulat ions.gov as well as enter the comment

submissions into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to

remove identifying or contact information.

If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons for

submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to include identifying

or contact information that they do not want to be publicly disclosed in their comment

submission. Your request should state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment

submissions to remove such information before making the comment submissions

available to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.

3 II.Discussion

The NRC seeks public comment on the propos ed draft section revision of SRP

Section 15.0, Introduction - Transient and Accident Analyses. This section has been

developed to assist the NRC staff in the evaluation of the safety of a nuclear power plant

that requires analyses of the plants responses to postulated equipment failures or

malfunctions. The effects of anticipated process disturbances and postulated component

failures are examined to determine their consequences and to evaluate the capability

built into the plant to control or accommodate such failures and situations. Additionally,

such analyses help determine the limiting condi tions for operation, limiting safety system

settings, and design specifications for components and systems to protect public health

and safety under parts 50 and 52 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulation s

(10 CFR).

Following the NRC staff evaluation of public comments, the NRC intends to

finalize SRP Section 15.0, Revision 4, Introduction - Transient and Accident Analyses

Review, in ADAMS and post it on the NRCs public website at

https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr0800. The SRP is

guidance for the NRC staff. The SRP is not a substitute for the NRC regulations, and

compliance with the SRP is not required.

III. Backfitting, Issue Finality, and Forward Fitting

The guidance in this draft SRP is updated to ensure alignment of the acceptance

criteria with the regulations and provide staff guidance related to the Commissions

policies for new passive light-water power reactors. Issuance of this draft SRP, if

finalized, would not constitute backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109 (the Backfit Rule)

and as described in NRC Management Directive 8.4, Management of Backfitting,

Forward Fitting, Issue Finality, and Information Requests; would not affect the issue 4

finality of an approval under 10 CFR part 52; and would not constitute forward fitting as

that term is defined and described in MD 8.4. The staffs position is based upon the

following considerations:

1. The draft SRP positions, if finalized, would not constitute backfitting or forward

fitting or affect issue finality, inasmuch as the SRP would be internal guidance to the

NRC staff.

The SRP provides guidance to the NRC staff on how to review an application for

NRC regulatory approval in the form of licensing. Changes in internal staff guidance,

without further NRC action, are not matters that meet the definition of backfitting or

forward fitting or affect the issue finality of a 10 CFR part 52 approval.

2. Current or future applicants are notwith limited exceptions not applicable

herewithin the scope of the backfitting and issue finality regulations and forward fitting

policy.

Applicants are not, with certain exceptions, within the scope of the Backfit Rule or

any issue finality provisions under 10 CFR part 52. The backfitting and issue finality

regulations include language delineating when those provisions begin; in general, they

begin after the issuance of a license, permit, or other approval. Furthermore, neither the

Backfit Rule nor the issue finality provisions under 10 CFR part 52with certain

exclusions discussed in this noticewere intended to apply to NRC actions that

substantially change the expectations of current and future applicants.

The exceptions to the general principle are applicable when an applicant

references a 10 CFR part 52 license (e.g., an early site permit) and/or NRC regulatory

approval (e.g., a design certification rule) with specified issue finality provisions or a

construction permit under 10 CFR part 50. The NRC staff does not, at this time, intend to

impose the positions represented in the draft SRP (if finalized) in a manner that would 5

constitute backfitting or affect the issue finality of a 10 CFR part 52 approval. If, in the

future, the staff seeks to impose a position in the draft SRP (if finalized) in a manner that

constitutes backfitting or affects the issue finality of a 10 CFR part 52 approval, then the

staff would need to address the Backfit Rule or the criteria described in the applicable

issue finality provision.

The Commissions forward fitting policy generally does not apply when an

applicant files an initial licensing action for a new facility. Nevertheless, the NRC staff

does not, at this time, intend to impose the positions represented in the draft SRP (if

finalized) in a manner that would constitute forward fitting. If, in the future, the staff seeks

to impose a position in the draft SRP (if finalized) in a manner that constitutes forward

fitting, then the staff would need to address the forward fitting criteria in MD 8.4.

Dated: July 27, 2023.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

/RA/

Gerond A. George, Chief, Licensing Project Branch, Division of Operating Reactors, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

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