80 FR 52348 - Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit No. 1; Application and Amendment to Facility Operating License Involving Proposed No Significant Hazards Consideration Determination

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

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

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NFP-90, issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority (the licensee), for operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN), Unit 1. The amendment request submitted on August 1, 2013, proposed revisions to Technical Specification (TS) 3.8.1, Surveillance Requirement (SR) 3.8.1.8, and the licensing basis as described in the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR). The NRC staff had previously made a proposed determination that the amendment involved no significant hazards consideration. By letters dated April 21, 2014, January 29, 2015, and June 12, 2015, the licensee provided additional information that expanded the scope of the amendment request to include proposed changes to the UFSAR, a new modification to SR 3.8.1.1, and proposed a new SR 3.8.1.22. The purpose of this document is to update the description of the amendment request and to make a proposed determination that the expanded scope of the amendment request involves no significant hanzards consideration.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 167 (Friday, August 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52348-52351]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21347]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-390; NRC-2013-0233]


Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit No. 1; Application and Amendment to 
Facility Operating License Involving Proposed No Significant Hazards 
Consideration Determination

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: License amendment request; opportunity to comment, request a 
hearing and petition for leave to intervene.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NFP-90, 
issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority (the licensee), for operation 
of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN), Unit 1. The amendment request 
submitted on August 1, 2013, proposed revisions to Technical 
Specification (TS) 3.8.1, Surveillance Requirement (SR) 3.8.1.8, and 
the licensing basis as described in the Updated Final Safety Analysis 
Report (UFSAR). The NRC staff had previously made a proposed 
determination that the amendment involved no significant hazards 
consideration. By letters dated April 21, 2014, January 29, 2015, and 
June 12, 2015, the licensee provided additional information that 
expanded the scope of the amendment request to include proposed changes 
to the UFSAR, a new modification to SR 3.8.1.1, and proposed a new SR 
3.8.1.22. The purpose of this document is to update the description of 
the amendment request and to make a proposed determination that the 
expanded scope of the amendment request involves no significant 
hanzards consideration.

DATES: Comments must be filed by September 28, 2015. A request for a 
hearing must be filed by October 27, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods 
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting 
comments on a specific subject):
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0233. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop: OWFN-12-H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-0001.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeanne A. Dion, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1349; email: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0233 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain 
publicly-available information related to this action by any of the 
following methods:
     Federal rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0233.
     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 
application for amendment, dated August 1, 2013, as supplemented by 
letters dated April 21, 2014, January 29, 2015, and June 12, 2015, are 
available in ADAMS under ADAMS Accession Nos. ML13220A103, ML14112A341, 
ML15041A732, and ML15195A600, respectively.
     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-2013-0233 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 will post all comment submissions at http:/
/

[[Page 52349]]

www.regulations.gov as well as enter 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 they 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 into ADAMS.

II. Introduction

    The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility 
Operating License No. NFP-90, issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority 
for operation of WBN, Unit 1, located in Spring City, Tennessee.
    The proposed license amendment was submitted by letter dated August 
1, 2013, and proposed revisions to TS 3.8.1 ``Alternating Current 
Sources--Operating,'' related SRs, and the licensing basis as described 
in the UFSAR for the available maintenance feeder for the Common 
Station Service Transformers (CSSTs) A and B. The proposed license 
amendment credited upgrades made to CSST A and B to provide two new 
sources of preferred Class 1E power supply feeds in addition to the two 
normal Class 1E power supply feeds. The NRC staff had previously made a 
proposed determination that the proposed amendment involved no 
significant hazards consideration (78 FR 64547; October 29, 2013). The 
proposed license amendment was supplemented by letters dated April 21, 
2014, January 29, 2015, and June 12, 2015, and proposed additional 
changes to the UFSAR, a new modification to SR 3.8.1.1, and proposed a 
new SR 3.8.1.22.
    The purpose of this document is to update the description of the 
amendment request and to make a proposed determination that the 
expanded scope of the amendment request involves no significant 
hanzards consideration.Before issuance of the proposed license 
amendment, the NRC will have made findings required by the Atomic 
Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's 
regulations.
    The NRC has made a proposed determination that the amendment 
request involves no significant hazards consideration. Under the NRC's 
regulations in Sec.  50.92 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR), this means that operation of the facility in 
accordance with the proposed amendment would not (1) involve a 
significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident 
previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new or 
different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or 
(3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety. As required 
by 10 CFR 50.91(a), the licensee has provided its analysis of the issue 
of no significant hazards consideration, which is presented below:

    1. Does the proposed change involve a significant increase in 
the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated?
    Response: No.
    The proposed changes described in this TS amendment request, do 
not alter the safety functions of the WBN Offsite Power system. 
Design calculations document that CSSTs A and B have adequate 
capacity to supply all connected loads including one train of 
shutdown boards in all allowable alignments and meet the separation 
requirements for offsite power sources. The consequences of an 
accident are not changed when using CSST A or B to power the 
shutdown boards because these CSSTs are rated to carry all required 
loads for any design basis accidents. The failure of a CSST is not 
considered to be an initiator of a plant accident and therefore the 
probability or consequences of accidents or events previously 
evaluated, as described in the UFSAR, is not changed.
    Therefore, this proposed amendment does not involve a 
significant increase in the probability or consequences of an 
accident previously evaluated.
    2. Does the proposed change create the possibility of a new or 
different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated?
    Response: No.
    As stated above, malfunctions of the CSSTs are not considered to 
be an initiator for plant accidents and the modifications to the 
offsite power system do not create a new or different kind of 
accident. The purpose of the offsite power system is to provide a 
source of power to the safety related equipment required to mitigate 
a design basis accident. CSSTs A and B have been physically upgraded 
and proven by design calculation to meet all required GDC [General 
Design Criterion] 17 requirements for separation and voltage 
stability. Using CSSTs A and B as alternate sources of shutdown 
power does not negatively affect the offsite power systems ability 
to meet its design function.
    Therefore, the proposed amendment does not create the 
possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident 
previously evaluated.
    3. Does the proposed change involve a significant reduction in 
the margin of safety?
    Response: No.
    CSSTs A and B have adequate design margin to meet all possible 
loading scenarios as long as both CSSTs A and B are operational 
prior to one being used as a source of offsite power. This 
requirement is added to the control room drawings, plant design 
criteria and the UFSAR in order to ensure acceptable margin is 
always available prior to CSSTs A or B being used as a source of 
offsite power.
    Therefore, the proposed changes do not involve a significant 
reduction in a margin of safety.

    The NRC staff has reviewed the licensee's analysis and, based on 
this review, it appears that the three standards of 10 CFR 50.92(c) are 
satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff proposes to determine that the 
amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration.
    The NRC is seeking public comments on this proposed determination 
that the license amendment request involves no significant hazards 
consideration. Any comments received within 30 days after the date of 
publication of this notice will be considered in making any final 
determination.
    Normally, the Commission will not issue the amendment until the 
expiration of 60 days after the date of publication of this notice. The 
Commission may issue the license amendment before expiration of the 60-
day period provided that its final determination is that the amendment 
involves no significant hazards consideration. In addition, the 
Commission may issue the amendment prior to the expiration of the 30-
day comment period should circumstances change during the 30-day 
comment period such that failure to act in a timely way would result, 
for example, in derating or shutdown of the facility. Should the 
Commission take action prior to the expiration of either the comment 
period or the notice period, it will publish in the Federal Register a 
notice of issuance. Should the Commission make a final No Significant 
Hazards Consideration Determination, any hearing will take place after 
issuance. The Commission expects that the need to take this action will 
occur very infrequently.

III. Opportunity To Request a Hearing and Petition for Leave To 
Intervene

    Within 60 days after the date of publication of this notice, any 
person(s) whose interest may be affected by this action may file a 
request for a hearing and a petition to intervene with respect to 
issuance of the amendment to the subject facility operating license. 
Requests for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene shall be 
filed in accordance with the Commission's ``Agency Rules of Practice 
and Procedure'' in 10 CFR part 2. Interested person(s) should consult a 
current copy

[[Page 52350]]

of 10 CFR 2.309, which is available at the NRC's PDR, located at O1F21, 
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852. The 
NRC's regulations are accessible electronically from the NRC Library on 
the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/. 
If a request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene is filed 
within 60 days, the Commission or a presiding officer designated by the 
Commission or by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety 
and Licensing Board Panel, will rule on the request and/or petition; 
and the Secretary or the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic 
Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of a hearing or an 
appropriate order.
    As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene 
shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in 
the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the results of 
the proceeding. The petition should specifically explain the reasons 
why intervention should be permitted with particular reference to the 
following general requirements: (1) The name, address and telephone 
number of the requestor or petitioner; (2) the nature of the 
requestor's/petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to the 
proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the requestor's/petitioner's 
property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (4) the 
possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in the 
proceeding on the requestor's/petitioner's interest. The petition must 
also set forth the specific contentions which the requestor/petitioner 
seeks to have litigated at the proceeding.
    Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue 
of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the 
requestor/petitioner shall provide a brief explanation of the bases for 
the contention and a concise statement of the alleged facts or expert 
opinion which support the contention and on which the requestor/
petitioner intends to rely in proving the contention at the hearing. 
The requestor/petitioner must also provide references to those specific 
sources and documents of which the requestor/petitioner is aware and on 
which the requestor/petitioner intends to rely to establish those facts 
or expert opinion. The petition must include sufficient information to 
show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material 
issue of law or fact. Contentions shall be limited to matters within 
the scope of the amendment under consideration. The contention must be 
one which, if proven, would entitle the requestor/petitioner to relief. 
A requestor/petitioner who fails to satisfy these requirements with 
respect to at least one contention will not be permitted to participate 
as a party.
    Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, 
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, 
and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the 
hearing.
    If a hearing is requested, the Commission will make a final 
determination on the issue of no significant hazards consideration. The 
final determination will serve to decide when the hearing is held. If 
the final determination is that the amendment request involves no 
significant hazards consideration, the Commission may issue the 
amendment and make it immediately effective, notwithstanding the 
request for a hearing. Any hearing held would take place after issuance 
of the amendment. If the final determination is that the amendment 
request involves a significant hazards consideration, then any hearing 
held would take place before the issuance of any amendment unless the 
Commission finds an imminent danger to the health or safety of the 
public, in which case it will issue an appropriate order or rule under 
10 CFR part 2.

IV. Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)

    All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including a 
request for hearing, a petition for leave to intervene, any motion or 
other document filed in the proceeding prior to the submission of a 
request for hearing or petition to intervene, and documents filed by 
interested governmental entities participating under 10 CFR 2.315(c), 
must be filed in accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule (72 FR 49139, 
August 28, 2007). 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. Participants may not 
submit paper copies of their filings unless they seek an exemption in 
accordance with the procedures described below.
    To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least 
ten (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 request (1) a digital 
identification (ID) certificate, which allows the participant (or its 
counsel or representative) to digitally sign documents and access the 
E-Submittal server for any proceeding in which it is participating; and 
(2) advise the Secretary that the participant will be submitting a 
request or petition for hearing (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 hearing in this 
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 Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/getting-started.html. System requirements for accessing 
the E-Submittal server are detailed in the NRC's ``Guidance for 
Electronic Submission,'' which is available on the NRC's public Web 
site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. Participants 
may attempt to use other software not listed on the Web site, but 
should note that the NRC's E-Filing system does not support unlisted 
software, and the NRC Meta System Help Desk will not be able to offer 
assistance in using unlisted software.
    If a participant is electronically submitting a document to the NRC 
in accordance with the E-Filing rule, the participant must file the 
document using the NRC's online, Web-based submission form. In order to 
serve documents through the Electronic Information Exchange System, 
users will be required to install a Web browser plug-in from the NRC's 
Web site. Further information on the Web-based submission form, 
including the installation of the Web browser plug-in, is available on 
the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html.
    Once a participant has obtained a digital ID certificate and a 
docket has been created, the participant can then submit a request for 
hearing or petition for leave to intervene. Submissions should be in 
Portable Document Format (PDF) in accordance with NRC guidance 
available on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. A filing is considered complete at the time the 
documents are 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. Eastern Time on the due date. Upon receipt of 
a transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends 
the submitter an email notice confirming receipt of the document. The 
E-Filing system also distributes an email

[[Page 52351]]

notice 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 documents on those participants separately. 
Therefore, applicants and other participants (or their counsel or 
representative) must apply for and receive a digital ID certificate 
before a hearing request/petition to intervene is filed so that they 
can obtain access to the document via the E-Filing system.
    A person filing electronically using the NRC's adjudicatory E-
Filing system may seek assistance by contacting the NRC Meta System 
Help Desk through the ``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC's public 
Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html, by email to 
[email protected], or by a toll-free call to 1-866-672-7640. The 
NRC Meta System Help Desk is available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., 
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding government holidays.
    Participants who believe that they have a 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 
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper 
format. Such filings must be submitted by: (1) First class mail 
addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: 
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or 
expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth 
Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. 
Participants filing a document in this manner are responsible for 
serving the document on all other participants. Filing is considered 
complete by first-class mail as of the time of deposit in the mail, or 
by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing 
the document with the provider of the service. A presiding officer, 
having granted an exemption request from using E-Filing, may require a 
participant or party to use E-Filing if the presiding officer 
subsequently determines that the reason for granting the exemption from 
use of E-Filing no longer exists.
    Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in 
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at 
http://ehd1.nrc.gov/ehd/, unless excluded pursuant to an order of the 
Commission, or the presiding officer. Participants are requested not to 
include personal privacy information, such as social security numbers, 
home addresses, or home phone numbers in their filings, unless an NRC 
regulation or other law requires submission of such information. 
However, in some instances, a request to intervene will require 
including information on local residence in order to demonstrate a 
proximity assertion of interest in the proceeding. 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 are requested not to include copyrighted 
materials in their submission.
    Petitions for leave to intervene must be filed no later than 60 
days from the date of publication of this notice. Requests for hearing, 
petitions for leave to intervene, and motions for leave to file new or 
amended contentions that are filed after the 60-day 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)-(iii).
    For further details with respect to this amendment request, see the 
application for amendment dated August 1, 2013, as supplemented by 
letters dated April 21, 2014, January 29, 2015, and June 12, 2015, 
which are available for public inspection at the NRC's PDR, located at 
One White Flint North, Room O1-F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), 
Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly-available documents created or 
received at the NRC are accessible electronically through ADAMS in the 
NRC Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. If you do not 
have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the 
documents located in ADAMS, contact the PDR's Reference staff at 1-800-
397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected].
    Attorney for licensee: General Counsel, Tennessee Valley Authority, 
400 West Summit Hill Drive, 6A West Tower, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902.
    NRC Branch Chief: Jessie F. Quichocho.

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

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jeanne A. Dion,
Project Manager, Watts Bar Special Projects Branch, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2015-21347 Filed 8-27-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P