ML18256A307

Acceptance Letter for LAR 18-022

ML18256A307
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	09/13/2018
From:	Paul Kallan NRC/NRO/DLSE/LB4
To:	Christine Richie Office of New Reactors
KALLAN P/415-2809
References
Download: ML18256A307 (3)

Text

From: Kallan, Paul Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2018 2:46 PM To: Richie, Christine

Subject:

Acceptance Letter for LAR 18-022 - Passive Core Cooling System (PXS) Gutter Drain Line Vents Attachments: Acceptance letter for LAR 18-022.docx Hi Chrissie, Please put this in ADAMS.

Thank you, Paul

September 13, 2018 Mr. Brian H. Whitley, Director Regulatory Affairs Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

42 Inverness Center Parkway BIN B237 Birmingham, AL 35242

SUBJECT:

ACCEPTANCE REVIEW OF SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANYS REQUEST FOR LICENSE AMENDMENT (LAR 18-022) FOR THE VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT UNITS 3 AND 4 - PASSIVE CORE COOLING SYSTEM (PXS) GUTTER DRAIN LINE VENTS (EPID L-2018-LLA-0235)

Dear Mr. Whitley:

By letter dated August 27, 2018 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML18239A375), Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC/licensee) submitted a license amendment request (LAR)18-022 for Combined License (COL) Numbers NPF-91 and NPF-92, for the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) Units 3 and 4, respectively. The requested amendment proposes to depart from information in the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) (which includes the plant-specific Design Control Document (DCD) Tier 2 information) and involves related changes to plant-specific Tier 1 information, with corresponding changes to the associated COL Appendix C information.

Specifically, the requested amendment would revise the COL and licensing basis documents to add vent lines to the piping between the passive core cooling system (PXS) collection boxes and in-containment refueling water storage tank (IRWST) to remove entrained air and improve the drain line flow rates.

SNC has also requested an exemption from the provisions of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52, Appendix D, Section III.B, Design Certification Rule for the AP1000 Design, Scope and Contents, to allow a departure from the elements of the certification information in Tier 1 of the generic Design Control Document.

The purpose of this letter is to provide the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs acceptance review of the LAR. The acceptance review was performed to determine if there is sufficient technical information in scope and depth to allow the NRC staff to complete its detailed technical reviews. The acceptance review is also intended to identify whether the application has any readily apparent information insufficiencies in its characterization of the regulatory requirements or the licensing basis of the plant.

Consistent with Section 50.90 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), an amendment to the license must fully describe the changes requested, and follow as far as applicable, the form prescribed for original applications. Section 52.79 of the 10 CFR addresses the content of technical information required. This section stipulates that the submittal address the design and operating characteristics, unusual or novel design features, and principal safety considerations.

The NRC staff has reviewed your application and concluded that it does provide technical information in sufficient detail to enable the NRC staff to complete its detailed technical review and make an independent assessment regarding the acceptability of the proposed amendment in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment.

Given the lesser scope and depth of the acceptance review as compared to the detailed technical review, there may be instances in which issues that impact the NRC staffs ability to complete the detailed technical review are identified despite completion of an adequate acceptance review. You will be advised of any further information needed to support the NRC staffs detailed technical review by separate correspondence.

SNC has requested NRC staff approval of this LAR by February 24, 2019. As we agreed, the staff intends to complete this action by February 24, 2019 as requested, unless we agree to a different date at a later time due to circumstances beyond our control. The staff estimates that it may take 100 staff hours to complete this licensing action.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-2809 or Paul.Kallan@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Paul Kallan, Senior Project Manager Licensing Branch 4 Division of New Reactor Licensing Office of New Reactors Docket Nos.: 52-025 52-026