80 FR 52346 - Protection Against Extreme Wind Events and Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 167 (August 28, 2015)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1313, ``Protection Against Extreme Wind Events And Missiles For Nuclear Power Plants.'' This proposed guide has been revised to incorporate additional information identified since revision 1 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.117 was issued. The proposed revision describes an approach that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable for identifying those structures, systems, and components (SSCs) of light-water-cooled reactors that should be protected from the effects of the worst case extreme winds and wind-generated missiles, and remain functional.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 167 (Friday, August 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52346-52348]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21305]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2015-0202]


Protection Against Extreme Wind Events and Missiles for Nuclear 
Power Plants

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1313, ``Protection 
Against Extreme Wind Events And Missiles For Nuclear Power Plants.'' 
This proposed guide has been revised to incorporate additional 
information identified since revision 1

[[Page 52347]]

of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.117 was issued. The proposed revision 
describes an approach that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable 
for identifying those structures, systems, and components (SSCs) of 
light-water-cooled reactors that should be protected from the effects 
of the worst case extreme winds and wind-generated missiles, and remain 
functional.

DATES: Submit comments by October 27, 2015. Comments received after 
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC 
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before 
this date. Although a time limit is given, comments and suggestions in 
connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed 
or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods 
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting 
comments on a specified subject):
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0202. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3436; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
of this document.
     Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop: OWFN 12H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-0001.
    For additional direction on accessing information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gordon Curran, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-1247, email: 
[email protected] and Stephen Burton, Office of Nuclear Regulatory 
Research, telephone: 301-415-7000 email: [email protected]. Both 
are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0202 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may 
obtain publically-available information related to this document, by 
any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0202.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then 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]. The 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it is available 
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is mentioned. The 
DG is electronically available in ADAMS under Accession No. 
ML14356A107.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

B. Submitting Comments

    Please include Docket ID NRC-2015-0202 in your comment submission. 
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact information 
that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your comment 
submission. The NRC posts all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enters the comment submissions into 
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove 
identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.

II. Additional Information

    The NRC is issuing for public comment a DG in the NRC's 
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe and 
make available to the public such information as methods that are 
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the 
NRC's regulations, techniques that the staff uses in evaluating 
specific problems or postulated accidents, and data that the staff 
needs in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
    The draft regulatory guide, entitled, ``Protection Against Extreme 
Wind Events and Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants,'' is temporarily 
identified by its task number, DG-1313 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML14356A107). DG-1313 is proposed revision 2 of RG 1.117. The guide 
describes an approach that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable 
for identifying those SSCs of light-water-cooled reactors that should 
be protected from the effects of the worst case extreme winds and wind-
generated missiles, and remain functional.
    Nuclear power plants must be designed so that they remain in a safe 
condition under extreme meteorological events, including those that 
could result in the most extreme wind events (tornadoes and hurricanes) 
that could reasonably be predicted to occur at the site. Tornado wind 
speeds may not bound hurricane wind speeds for certain portions of the 
Atlantic and gulf coasts at the wind speed frequencies of occurrence 
considered in revision 1 of RG 1.76, ``Design-Basis Tornado and Tornado 
Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants,'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML070360253). 
The SSCs should be designed to withstand the effects of the design 
basis hurricane and hurricane generated missiles so that they remain 
functional. The NRC will also address these extreme conditions on a 
case-by-case basis.

II. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    This draft regulatory guide describes methods and procedures that 
the staff considers acceptable for use in identifying those SSCs of 
light-water-cooled reactors that should be protected from the effects 
of the worst case extreme winds and wind-generated missiles, so that 
they remain functional. Although not expressly stated in DG-1313, the 
regulatory guidance in this regulatory guide is directed at applicants 
for nuclear power reactor construction permits and operating licenses 
under part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 
applicants for standard design certifications under subpart B of part 
52, and combined licenses under subpart C of part 52.
    This draft regulatory guide, if finalized, would not constitute 
backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109 (the Backfit Rule) and is not 
otherwise inconsistent with the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR 
part 52, ``Licenses,

[[Page 52348]]

Certifications and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.'' Applicants and 
potential applicants are not, with certain exceptions, protected by 
either the Backfit Rule or any issue finality provisions under part 52. 
Neither the Backfit Rule nor the issue finality provisions under part 
52--with certain exclusions discussed below--were intended to every NRC 
action which substantially changes the expectations of current and 
future applicants. The exceptions to the general principle are 
applicable whenever a combined license applicant references a part 52 
license (i.e., an early site permit or a manufacturing license) and/or 
part 52 regulatory approval (i.e., a design certification rule or 
design approval. The staff does not, at this time, intend to impose the 
positions represented in the draft regulatory guide (if finalized) in a 
manner that is inconsistent with any issue finality provisions in these 
part 52 licenses and regulatory approvals. If, in the future, the staff 
seeks to impose a position in this regulatory guide (if finalized) in a 
manner which does not provide issue finality as described in the 
applicable issue finality provision, then the staff must address the 
issue finality criteria in the applicable issue finality provision (10 
CFR 52.63 for standard design certification rules, and 10 CFR 52.98 for 
combined licenses).
    Existing licensees and applicants of final design certification 
rules will not be required to follow the positions in DG-1313, if 
finalized, unless the licensee or design certification rule applicant 
seeks a voluntary change to its licensing basis with respect to the 
inclusion or exclusion of SSCs which must be protected against extreme 
winds and extreme wind effects. In such cases, backfitting and issue 
finality will not apply if the NRC determines that the safety review of 
the licensee or applicant-initiated change must include reconsideration 
of the methods and procedures used in identifying those SSCs. Further 
information on the staff's use of the draft regulatory guide, if 
finalized, is contained in the draft regulatory guide under Section D. 
Implementation.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of August, 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Generic Issues Branch, Division of 
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2015-21305 Filed 8-27-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P