[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44169-44170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14536]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-073; NRC-2022-0173]
GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC; GE-Hitachi Nuclear Test
Reactor
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: License renewal; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a
renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-33, held by GE-Hitachi
Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC (GEH, the licensee), for the continued
operation of the Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR, the reactor) for an
additional 20 years from the date of issuance. The reactor is located
on the Vallecitos Nuclear Center site in Sunol, Alameda County,
California. In connection with the renewed license, the licensee is
authorized to operate the reactor at a maximum licensed power level of
100 kilowatts-thermal (kWt).
DATES: Renewed Facility Operating License No. R-33 was issued on June
29, 2023, and is effective as of the date of issuance.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2022-0173 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-2022-0173. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann;
telephone: 301-415-0624; 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,
the ADAMS accession numbers are provided in a table in the
``Availability of Documents'' section of this document.
NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an
appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to
[email protected] 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Duane Hardesty, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-3724; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Discussion
The NRC has issued a renewal for Facility Operating License No. R-
33, held by GEH, which authorizes continued operation of the NTR. The
NTR is a heterogeneous, highly enriched-uranium, graphite-moderated and
-reflected, light-water cooled, thermal reactor. The renewed license
[[Page 44170]]
authorizes the licensee to operate the NTR at a steady-state thermal
power level up to a maximum of 100 kWt. Renewed Facility Operating
License No. R-33 will expire 20 years from its date of issuance.
The renewed facility operating license complies with the standards
and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the
Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations set forth in chapter I
of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The Commission has made
appropriate findings as required by the Act and the Commission's
regulations and sets forth those findings in the renewed facility
operating license. The agency afforded an opportunity to request a
hearing in the Notice of Opportunity to Request a Hearing published in
the Federal Register on January 10, 2023 (88 FR 1433). No requests for
a hearing were received.
The NRC staff prepared the safety evaluation report (SER)-Renewal
of the Facility Operating License for the GE-Hitachi Nuclear Test
Reactor, License No. R-33, Docket No. 50-073, which concluded that the
licensee can continue to operate the facility without endangering the
health and safety of the public. The NRC staff also prepared an
environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact regarding
the renewal of the facility operating license, published in the Federal
Register on March 22, 2023 (88 FR 17274), with a minor correction
published on June 1, 2023 (88 FR 35933), which concluded that renewal
of the facility operating license will not have a significant effect on
the quality of the human environment.
II. Availability of Documents
Documents related to this action, including the license renewal
application and other supporting documentation, and the SER prepared by
the NRC staff for the license renewal, are available to interested
persons as indicated.
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Document description ADAMS accession No.
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GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``Nuclear Test Reactor License ML21053A071.
Renewal (R-33),'' dated November 19, 2020.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``General Electric Nuclear Test ML20325A205.
Reactor Safety Analysis Report,'' NEDO 32740, Rev 3,
chapters 1 through 8, dated November 19, 2020.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``General Electric Nuclear Test ML20325A206.
Reactor Safety Analysis Report,'' NEDO 32740, Rev 3,
chapters 9 through 16, dated November 19, 2020.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``Vallecitos Nuclear Center ML20325A195.
Environmental Report 2020,'' dated July 2020.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``GEH Supplemental Information ML21265A246 (Package).
Supporting GE Nuclear Test Reactor License Renewal Audit--
Audit Questions and Responses,'' dated September 22, 2021.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``GE Nuclear Test Reactor Safety ML23086C023 (Package).
Analysis Report and Technical Specifications,'' dated
March 24, 2023.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``Vallecitos Nuclear Center ML23086C063.
Reactor Facilities Radiological Emergency Plan,'' Revision
1, dated June 9, 2021.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``Requalification Program for ML21172A185.
the General Electric Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR),'' dated
June 21, 2021.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, ``GEH Supplemental Information ML23027A209 (Package).
Supporting GE Nuclear Test Reactor License Renewal Audit--
Audit Questions and Responses,'' dated January 27, 2023.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, email response to U.S. Nuclear ML23111A233.
Regulatory Commission email request to acknowledge the NRC
staff proposed changes to the renewed facility operating
license, dated April 21, 2023.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, email response to U.S. Nuclear ML23166B147.
Regulatory Commission email request to acknowledge the NRC
staff proposed changes to the renewed facility operating
license and technical specifications, dated June 15, 2023.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ``Safety Evaluation ML23128A353.
Report-Renewal of the Facility Operating License for the
GE-Hitachi Nuclear Test Reactor, License No. R-33, Docket
No. 50-073,'' dated June 2023.
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Dated: July 5, 2023.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Joshua M. Borromeo,
Chief, Non-Power Production and Utilization Facility Licensing Branch,
Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization
Facilities, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2023-14536 Filed 7-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P