80 FR 63841 - Texas Engineering Experiment Station/Texas A&M University System Nuclear Science Center Reactor

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 203 (October 21, 2015)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-83, held by the Texas Engineering Experiment Station/Texas A&M University System (TEES/TAMUS or the licensee) for the continued operation of its Nuclear Science Center (NSC or the facility) Training, Research, Isotope Production, General Atomics (TRIGA) reactor (NSCR or the reactor) for an additional 20 years.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 203 (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63841-63842]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26746]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-128; NRC-2015-0210]


Texas Engineering Experiment Station/Texas A&M University System 
Nuclear Science Center Reactor

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: License renewal; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a renewal 
of Facility Operating License No. R-83, held by the Texas Engineering 
Experiment Station/Texas A&M University System (TEES/TAMUS or the 
licensee) for the continued operation of its Nuclear Science Center 
(NSC or the facility) Training, Research, Isotope Production, General 
Atomics (TRIGA) reactor (NSCR or the reactor) for an additional 20 
years.

DATES: The operating license renewal No. R-83 is effective on October 
1, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0210 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 Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0210. 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.
     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 available in 
ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. 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: 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Geoffrey A. Wertz, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0893; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC has issued renewed Facility 
Operating License No. R-83, held by the licensee, which authorizes 
continued operation of the TEES/TAMUS Nuclear Science Center (NSC, or 
the facility), TRIGA (Training, Research, Isotope Production, General 
Atomics) reactor (NSCR, or the reactor), located in College Station, 
Texas. The NSCR is heterogeneous pool-type, natural convection, light-
water cooled, and shielded TRIGA reactor. The NSCR is licensed to 
operate at a steady-state power level of 1,000 kilowatts thermal. The 
renewed Facility Operating License No. R-83 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. The Commission has 
made appropriate findings as required by the Act and the Commission's 
regulations in chapter I of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(10 CFR), and sets forth those findings in the renewed facility 
operating license. The agency afforded an opportunity for hearing in 
the Notice of Opportunity for Hearing published in the Federal Register 
on June 28, 2010 (75 FR 36710). The NRC received no request for a 
hearing or petition for leave to intervene following the notice.
    The NRC staff prepared a safety evaluation report for the renewal 
of Facility Operating License No. R-83 and concluded, based on that 
evaluation, 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 for the renewal of the facility operating license, noticed in 
the Federal Register on September 3, 2015 (80 FR 53343), and concluded 
that renewal of the facility operating license will not have a 
significant impact on the quality of the human environment.

Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through ADAMS accession numbers, as indicated.

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                                                               ADAMS
                        Document                           Accession No.
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Texas Engineering Experiment Station--Redacted Version--     ML102920025
 Application for the License Renewal Including the
 Safety Analysis Report, February 27, 2003..............
Redacted Version--Safety Analysis Report for Texas A&M       ML092530306
 Application for License Renewal and Power Uprate
 Including Technical Specifications and Environmental
 Report, July 22, 2009..................................
Texas A&M University, Response to NRC Requests for           ML102150544
 Additional Information Questions 9 and 11, Chapter 14--
 Technical Specifications, July 28, 2010................
Response to NRC Requests for Additional Information RAI      ML102510154
 3, Chapter 15--Financial Qualifications, August 30,
 2010...................................................

[[Page 63842]]

 
Texas A&M University System--Redacted Version--Response      ML102650318
 to NRC Non-Financial Requests for Additional
 Information Questions 1-37 for the TEES Nuclear Science
 Center Reactor, August 31, 2010........................
Response to NRC Requests for Additional Information RAI      ML103470278
 3, Chapter 15--Financial Qualifications, from the Texas
 A&M University System, Texas Engineering Experiment
 Station, Nuclear Science Center Reactor, December 9,
 2010...................................................
Response to NRC Request for Additional Information (RAI)     ML111950372
 Questions 1 through 37 (Non-Financial), Technical
 Specifications--Redacted Version, May 27, 2011.........
Texas A&M University, Nuclear Science Center, Safety         ML111950376
 Analysis Report--Redacted Version, June 9, 2011........
Texas A&M University--Redacted Version--Response to NRC      ML11327A083
 Request for Additional Information Questions 1-4, ADAMS
 Accession No. ML113410067; and Technical
 Specifications, November 21, 2011......................
Texas A&M University System--Redacted Version--Responses     ML120260016
 to NRC Requests for Additional Information Questions 1
 and 3, January 12, 2012................................
Texas A&M University, Updated Technical Specifications       ML12110A116
 for the Nuclear Science Center Reactor, April 11, 2012.
Updated Technical Specifications and Responses to RAI 3      ML12321A321
 for the Nuclear Science Center Reactor, November 14,
 2012...................................................
Description of the Neutron Sources and Total Special         ML13037A307
 Nuclear Material Possession Limit Needs, January 31,
 2013...................................................
Response to NRC Requests for Additional Information RAI      ML14038A106
 1-4, Chapter 15 Financial Qualifications for the Texas
 A&M University System, Texas Engineering Experiment
 Station, Nuclear Science Center Reactor, February 3,
 2013...................................................
Response to NRC Requests for Additional Information RAI      ML14076A112
 1-6, Operator Requalification Program from the Texas
 A&M University, February 11, 2013......................
Response to NRC Request for Additional Information,          ML15009A279
 Review of the Fuel Pool Temperature on Fuel Temperature
 for the License Renewal for the Nuclear Science Center
 Reactor, November 13, 2014.............................
Texas A&M University--Response to NRC Request for            ML15065A068
 Additional Information Regarding the Renewal of
 Facility Operating License No. R-83, March 2, 2015.....
Texas A&M University--Response to NRC Request for            ML15160A023
 Additional Information Regarding the Renewal of
 Facility Operating License No. R-83, June 5, 2015......
E-mail to Correct Updated Proposed TEES TS from Jerry        ML15187A256
 Newhouse, June 11, 2015................................
E-mail from Jerry Newhouse RE: Proposed TEES TS Change       ML15182A449
 Section 6.0, June 30, 2015.............................
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    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of October, 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Duane Hardesty,
Acting Chief, Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch, Division of 
Policy and Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2015-26746 Filed 10-20-15; 8:45 am]
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