[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]
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