[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 198 (Monday, October 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71384-71386]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22784]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-395; NRC-2023-0152]
Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc.; Virgil C. Summer Nuclear
Station, Unit No. 1
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Subsequent license renewal application; opportunity to request
a hearing and to petition for leave to intervene.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an
application for the subsequent license renewal of Renewed Facility
Operating License No. NPF-12, which authorizes Dominion Energy South
Carolina, Inc. (DESC) to operate Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Unit
No. 1 (V.C. Summer). The subsequent renewed license would authorize the
applicant to operate V.C. Summer for an additional 20 years beyond the
period specified in the current license. The current operating license
for V.C. Summer expires August 6, 2042.
DATES: A request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene must
be filed by December 15, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0152 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-2023-0152. 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, at 301-415-4737,
or by email to [email protected]. The ADAMS accession number for
each document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the
first time that it is mentioned in this document.
Public Library: A copy of the subsequent license renewal
application for V.C. Summer can be accessed at the following public
library: Fairfield County Library, 300 West Washington St, Winnsboro,
SC 29180.
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: Marieliz Johnson, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-5861; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC received a subsequent license renewal application (SLRA)
from DESC, dated August 17, 2023
[[Page 71385]]
(ADAMS Accession No. ML23233A172), filed pursuant to Section 103 of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and part 54 of title
10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Requirements for
Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants,'' to renew the
operating license for V.C. Summer for an additional period of 20 years
beyond the expiration of the current renewed license. The V.C. Summer
unit is a pressurized-water reactor designed by Westinghouse to operate
at 2,900 megawatts thermal, and is located near Jenkinsville, South
Carolina. A notice of receipt of the SLRA was published in the Federal
Register on September 11, 2023 (88 FR 62409).
The NRC staff has determined that DESC has submitted sufficient
information in accordance with 10 CFR 54.19, 54.21, 54.22, 54.23,
51.45, and 51.53(c), to enable the staff to undertake a review of the
application, and that the application is, therefore, acceptable for
docketing. The current Docket No. 50-395 for Renewed Facility Operating
License No. NPF-12, will be retained. The determination to accept the
SLRA for docketing does not constitute a determination that a
subsequent renewed license should be issued and does not preclude the
NRC staff from requesting additional information as the review
proceeds.
Before issuance of the requested subsequent renewed license, the
NRC will have made the findings required by the Act and the
Commission's rules and regulations. In accordance with 10 CFR 54.29,
the NRC may issue a subsequent renewed license on the basis of its
review if it finds that actions have been identified and have been or
will be taken with respect to: (1) managing the effects of aging during
the period of extended operation on the functionality of structures and
components that have been identified as requiring aging management
review; and (2) time-limited aging analyses that have been identified
as requiring review, such that there is reasonable assurance that the
activities authorized by the renewed license will continue to be
conducted in accordance with the current licensing basis and that any
changes made to the plant's current licensing basis will comply with
the Act and the Commission's regulations.
Additionally, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.95(c), the NRC staff
will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS), in which the
staff will evaluate the environmental impacts of the proposed action
and reasonable alternatives thereto. A draft EIS will be published for
comment and will be the subject of a future Federal Register notice. In
considering the SLRA, the Commission must find that the applicable
requirements of subpart A of 10 CFR part 51 have been satisfied, and
that any matters raised under 10 CFR 2.335 have been addressed.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.26, and as part of the environmental scoping
process, the staff intends to hold public scoping meetings. Detailed
information regarding the environmental scoping meetings will be the
subject of a separate Federal Register notice.
II. Opportunity To Request a Hearing and Petition for Leave To
Intervene
Within 60 days after the date of publication of this notice, any
person (petitioner) whose interest may be affected by this action may
file a request for a hearing and petition for leave to intervene
(petition) with respect to the action. Petitions shall be filed in
accordance with the Commission's ``Agency Rules of Practice and
Procedure'' in 10 CFR part 2. Interested persons should consult 10 CFR
2.309. If a petition is filed, the presiding officer will rule on the
petition and, if appropriate, a notice of a hearing will be issued.
Petitions must be filed no later than 60 days from the date of
publication of this notice in accordance with the filing instructions
in the ``Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)'' section of this document.
Petitions and motions for leave to file new or amended contentions that
are filed after the deadline will not be entertained absent a
determination by the presiding officer that the filing demonstrates
good cause by satisfying the three factors in 10 CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i)
through (iii).
A State, local governmental body, Federally recognized Indian
Tribe, or designated agency thereof, may submit a petition to the
Commission to participate as a party under 10 CFR 2.309(h) no later
than 60 days from the date of publication of this notice.
Alternatively, a State, local governmental body, Federally recognized
Indian Tribe, or agency thereof may participate as a non-party under 10
CFR 2.315(c).
For information about filing a petition and about participation by
a person not a party under 10 CFR 2.315, see ADAMS Accession No.
ML20340A053 (https://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML20340A053) and the NRC's public website at
https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/adjudicatory/hearing.html#participate.
III. Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings including
documents filed by an interested State, local governmental body,
Federally recognized Indian Tribe, or designated agency thereof that
requests to participate under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be filed in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302. The E-Filing process requires
participants to submit and serve all adjudicatory documents over the
internet, or in some cases, to mail copies on electronic storage media,
unless an exemption permitting an alternative filing method, as further
discussed, is granted. Detailed guidance on electronic submissions is
located in the ``Guidance for Electronic Submissions to the NRC''
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13031A056) and the NRC's public website at
https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html.
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least 10
days prior to the filing deadline, the participant should contact the
Office of the Secretary by email at [email protected], or by
telephone at 301-415-1677, to (1) request a digital identification (ID)
certificate, which allows the participant (or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign submissions and access the E-Filing
system for any proceeding in which it is participating; and (2) advise
the Secretary that the participant will be submitting a petition or
other adjudicatory document (even in instances in which the
participant, or its counsel or representative, already holds an NRC-
issued digital ID certificate). Based upon this information, the
Secretary will establish an electronic docket for the proceeding if the
Secretary has not already established an electronic docket.
Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is
available on the NRC's public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/getting-started.html. After a digital ID certificate is
obtained and a docket created, the participant must submit adjudicatory
documents in Portable Document Format. Guidance on submissions is
available on the NRC's public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/electronic-sub-ref-mat.html. A filing is considered complete at the
time the document is submitted through the NRC's E-Filing system. To be
timely, an electronic filing must be submitted to the E-Filing system
no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the due date. Upon receipt of a
transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends
the submitter an email confirming
[[Page 71386]]
receipt of the document. The E-Filing system also distributes an email
that provides access to the document to the NRC's Office of the General
Counsel and any others who have advised the Office of the Secretary
that they wish to participate in the proceeding, so that the filer need
not serve the document on those participants separately. Therefore,
applicants and other participants (or their counsel or representative)
must apply for and receive a digital ID certificate before adjudicatory
documents are filed to obtain access to the documents via the E-Filing
system.
A person filing electronically using the NRC's adjudicatory E-
Filing system may seek assistance by contacting the NRC's Electronic
Filing Help Desk through the ``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC's
public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html, by
email to [email protected], or by a toll-free call at 1-866-672-
7640. The NRC Electronic Filing Help Desk is available between 9 a.m.
and 6 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Participants who believe that they have good cause for not
submitting documents electronically must file an exemption request, in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing
stating why there is good cause for not filing electronically and
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper
format. Such filings must be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR
2.302(b)-(d). Participants filing adjudicatory documents in this manner
are responsible for serving their documents on all other participants.
Participants granted an exemption under 10 CFR 2.302(g)(2) must still
meet the electronic formatting requirement in 10 CFR 2.302(g)(1),
unless the participant also seeks and is granted an exemption from 10
CFR 2.302(g)(1).
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in the
NRC's electronic hearing docket, which is publicly available at https://adams.nrc.gov/ehd, unless excluded pursuant to an order of the
presiding officer. If you do not have an NRC-issued digital ID
certificate as previously described, click ``cancel'' when the link
requests certificates and you will be automatically directed to the
NRC's electronic hearing dockets where you will be able to access any
publicly available documents in a particular hearing docket.
Participants are requested not to include personal privacy information
such as social security numbers, home addresses, or personal phone
numbers in their filings unless an NRC regulation or other law requires
submission of such information. With respect to copyrighted works,
except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the adjudicatory
filings and would constitute a Fair Use application, participants
should not include copyrighted materials in their submission.
Detailed information about the license renewal process can be found
under the Reactor License Renewal section on the NRC's public website
at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.
Copies of the application to renew the operating license for V.C.
Summer are available for public inspection at the NRC's PDR, and on the
NRC's public website at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. The application may be accessed in
ADAMS through the NRC Library on the internet at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html under ADAMS Accession No. ML23233A172. As
previously stated, persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who
encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS may
contact the NRC's PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or
301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected].
Dated: October 11, 2023.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lauren K. Gibson,
Chief, License Renewal Project Branch, Division of New and Renewed
Licenses, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2023-22784 Filed 10-13-23; 8:45 am]
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