ML22319A150
| ML22319A150 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 07/27/2023 |
| From: | Gerond George Licensing Processes Branch |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22318A211 | List: |
| 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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