[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5266-5267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01041]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2020-0153]
Updated Aging Management Criteria for Reactor Vessel Internal
Components for Pressurized-Water Reactors
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Interim staff guidance; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing
Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) SLR-ISG-2021-01-PWRVI, ``Updated Aging
Management Criteria for Reactor Vessel Internal Components for
Pressurized-Water Reactors.'' This ISG updates the aging management
criteria for pressurized-water reactor (PWR) vessel internals
components in the NRC's subsequent license renewal (SLR) guidance
documents. Specifically, the ISG revises guidance contained in NUREG-
2191, ``Generic Aging Lessons Learned for Subsequent License Renewal
(GALL-SLR) Report,'' and NUREG-2192, ``Standard Review Plan for Review
of Subsequent License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants.''
This ISG is intended to facilitate preparation of SLR applications by
clarifying existing guidance for aging management and adding new
guidance, which also will facilitate the NRC staff's review of SLR
applications.
DATES: This guidance is effective on February 18, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0153 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0153. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges;
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or
by email to [email protected]. For the convenience of the reader,
instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are
provided in the ``Availability of Documents'' section.
Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies
of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request
to the PDR via email at [email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or
301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Mitchell, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-0833; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On August 3, 2020 (85 FR 46735), the staff requested public
comments on draft SLR-ISG-PWRVI-2020-XX, ``Updated Aging Management
Criteria for Reactor Vessel Internal Components for Pressurized-Water
Reactors.'' The NRC received comments from the Electric Power Research
Institute, Materials Reliability Program (EPRI MRP) by letter dated
September 1, 2020 (ADAMS Accession No. ML20245E539), and from the
Nuclear Energy Institute by letter dated September 2, 2020 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML20246G654). No other comments were submitted. The NRC
staff considered those comments in developing the final version of the
ISG. The staff's responses to the comments are provided in
[[Page 5267]]
Appendix H, ``Disposition of Public Comments,'' of the final ISG.
This ISG updates NUREG-2191, ``Generic Aging Lessons Learned for
Subsequent License Renewal (GALL-SLR) Report,'' and NUREG-2192,
``Standard Review Plan for Review of Subsequent License Renewal
Applications for Nuclear Power Plants.'' NUREG-2191 and NUREG-2192 were
published in July 2017, and a full review and revision to these
documents is not scheduled to be performed for several years. The staff
has reviewed the first three subsequent license renewal applications
(SLRAs) that were based on the above guidance documents. During these
reviews, the staff and applicants identified improvements to the
guidance that would assist in preparing and reviewing future SLRAs more
effectively and efficiently. This ISG provides an interim update to
NUREG-2191 and NUREG-2192 to implement these improvements.
This ISG is not intended for standalone use. It provides revisions
to NUREG-2191 and NUREG-2192 sections and tables that supersede the
content in the NUREGs and is intended to be used within the context of
the NUREGs. The revisions captured in this ISG include:
Updates to GALL-SLR Report aging management program
XI.M16A, ``PWR Vessel Internals'';
changes to aging management review items in NUREG-2191
tables and corresponding summary tables in NUREG-2192;
new aging management review items in NUREG-2191 tables and
corresponding summary tables in NUREG-2192;
changes to NUREG-2192 ``further evaluation'' guidance
sections;
updates to references listed in affected NUREG-2191
sections; and
editorial corrections to relevant sections.
II. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the following table are available to
interested persons in ADAMS, as indicated.
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Document ADAMS accession No.
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NUREG-2191, ``Generic Aging Lessons Learned for Subsequent ML16274A389 (Vol. 1)
License Renewal (GALL-SLR) Report''. ML16274A399 (Vol. 2).
NUREG-2192, ``Standard Review Plan for Review of Subsequent ML16274A402.
License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants''.
Draft SLR-ISG-PWRVI-2020-XX, ``Updated Aging Management ML20156A343.
Criteria for Reactor Vessel Internal Components for
Pressurized-Water Reactors''.
Final SLR-ISG-2021-01-PWRVI, ``Updated Aging Management ML20217L203.
Criteria for Reactor Vessel Internal Components for
Pressurized-Water Reactors''.
March 28, 2019, Summary of Category 2 Public Meeting on ML19112A206.
Lessons Learned from the Review of the First Subsequent
License Renewal Applications.
Summary of December 12, 2019, Category 2 Public Meeting on ML20016A347.
Lessons Learned from the Review of the First Subsequent
License Renewal Applications.
February 20, 2020, Summary of Category 2 Public Meeting on ML20076E074.
Lessons Learned from the Review of the First Subsequent
License Renewal Applications.
Summary of March 25, 2020 Meeting with Industry Related to ML20107F702.
Revisions to Subsequent License Renewal Guidance Documents.
Summary of April 3, 2020, Meeting with Industry Regarding ML20107F733.
Changes to Subsequent License Renewal Guidance Documents.
Summary of April 7, 2020, Meeting with Industry Regarding ML20107F699.
Revisions to the Subsequent License Renewal Guidance
Documents.
Comment Letter (1) of Christopher Koehler and Brian Burgos, ML20245E539.
on behalf of the Electric Power Research Institute,
Subject: ``Industry Comments to Draft Interim Staff
Guidance (ISG)-SLR-ISG-PWRVI-2020-XX''.
Comment Letter (2) of Peter W. Kissinger, on behalf of ML20246G654.
Nuclear Energy Institute, Subject: ``Comments on the
proposed changes to subsequent license renewal document
SLR-ISG-PWRVI-2020-XX''.
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III. Backfit Discussion
This ISG intends to revise guidance for the NRC staff reviewing
SLRAs and for prospective applicants in preparing SLRAs. Issuance of
this ISG does not constitute a backfit as defined in section
50.109(a)(1) of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
and is not otherwise inconsistent with the issue finality provisions in
10 CFR part 52. As discussed in the ``Backfitting'' section of the
final ISG, the ISG positions do not constitute backfitting inasmuch as
the ISG is guidance directed to the NRC staff with respect to its
regulatory responsibilities and to applicants who choose to follow the
guidance. Applicants and potential applicants are not, with certain
exceptions, the subject of either the backfit rule or any issue
finality provisions under 10 CFR part 52. The NRC staff has no
intention to impose the ISG positions on existing nuclear power plant
licensees either now or in the future (absent a voluntary request for a
change from the licensee).
IV. Congressional Review Act
This ISG is a rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act (5
U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and Budget has not
found it to be a major rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act.
Dated: January 13, 2021.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert Caldwell,
Deputy Director, Division of New and Renewed Licenses, Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2021-01041 Filed 1-15-21; 8:45 am]
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