ML16341A812

GE Hitachi Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Design Certification Renewal Application, Actions Regarding Resolution of Item #26; Fukushima Recommendation 4.2, Mitigating Strategies

ML16341A812
Person / Time
Site:	05200045
Issue date:	12/06/2016
From:	Head J GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of New Reactors
References
MFN-16-092
Download: ML16341A812 (2)

Text

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Jerald G. Head Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs 3901 Castle Hayne Road P.O. Box 780 M/C A-18 Wilmington, NC 28402 USA T 910 819 5692 M 910 362-5692 jerald.head@ge.com MFN-16-092 Docket Number: 52-045 December 6, 2016 US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555-0001

Subject:

GE Hitachi Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Design Certification Renewal Application, Actions Regarding Resolution of Item #26 - Fukushima Recommendation 4.2, Mitigating Strategies

References:

1. Letter from R.E. Kingston, GEH to USNRC,

Subject:

ABWR Standard Plant Design Certification Renewal Application Design Control Document, Revision 5, Tier 1 and Tier 2, December 7, 2010.

2. Letter from USNRC to Jerald G. Head, GEH,

Subject:

GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy - United States Advanced Boiling-Water Reactor Design Certification Renewal Application, July 20, 2012.

3. Letter from Jerald G. Head, GEH, to USNRC,

Subject:

GEH Proposed Resolution of Item

1. 26 - Fukushima Recommendation 4.2 Mitigation Strategies of NRC Suggested U.S.

Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Design Changes, September 4, 2015

4. Letter from Jerald G. Head, GEH, to USNRC,

Subject:

Supplemental Information for GEHs Response to Item # 26 - Fukushima Recommendation 4.2 Mitigation Strategies of NRC Suggested U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Design Changes, April 29, 2016

5. Letter from Jerald G. Head, GEH, to USNRC,

Subject:

Supplemental Information #2 for GEHs Response to Item # 26 - Fukushima Recommendation 4.2 Mitigation Strategies of NRC Suggested U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Design Changes, August 24, 2016 GEH submitted a Design Certification Renewal application for the U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) in Reference 1 pursuant to the requirements of Subpart B, Standard Design Certifications, of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52, Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.

In Reference 2, the NRC suggested design changes to address issues that the agency considered to be regulatory improvements or changes that could meet the 10 CFR 52.59(b) criteria. In addition, the NRC requested that GEH implement the Fukushima Near-Term Task Force

MFN 16-092 Page 2 of 2 recommendations contained in SECY-12-0025, Proposed Orders and Requests for Information in Response to Lessons Learned from Japans March 11, 2011, Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, dated February 17, 2012. Collectively, these items are termed the 28-item backfit list.

Item #26 of the list relates to post-Fukushima Recommendation 4.2, Mitigation Strategies.

References 3, 4, and 5 submitted to the NRC revisions to the ABWR Design Control Document (DCD) to address Item #26.

Recent NRC actions involving a pending final rulemaking for 10 CFR 50.155, Mitigation of Beyond-Design Basis Events, were discussed during a public teleconference held December 1, 2016. Under the latest public information regarding the pending final rule, there will be no requirements applicable to applicants for a standard design certification (or a renewal, as in the case of the ABWR application). It is expected that the final rule will be effective before the ABWR design certification renewal would be completed. On that basis, GEH plans to submit a revised response for addressing Item #26 by the end of January 2017. The revised response will provide a complete description of the changes to the ABWR DCD that would remove references to Recommendation 4.2 mitigating strategies (e.g., Appendix 1D).

To the extent that certain design features have been proposed in response to Item #26, GEH will identify in the revised response which of those are being retained, for NRC review of these simply as design changes in the renewal application. This was discussed in the December 1, 2016, public teleconference (e.g., external connections for power and water; and enhanced system capability for residual heat removal and reactor core isolation cooling). Based on the discussion in the public teleconference, it is our understanding that the NRC agrees that this will be an acceptable approach for the ABWR renewal application. In the meantime, GEH requests that the NRC suspend its review of Recommendation 4.2 mitigating strategies, but to continue review of the system design changes, as appropriate.

If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact me or Patricia Campbell (202-637-4239).

Sincerely, Jerald G. Head Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs Commitments: GEH will provide a revised response to Item #26, as explained above. No further commitments are made in this letter.

Enclosures:

None.

cc: A. Muniz, NRC DBR-0024078