82 FR 37908 - Entergy Operations, Inc.; River Bend Station, Unit 1

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 155 (August 14, 2017)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an application for the renewal of operating license NPF-47, which authorizes Entergy Operations, Inc., (the applicant), to operate River Bend Station, Unit 1 (RBS). The renewed license would authorize the applicant to operate RBS for an additional 20 years beyond the period specified in the current license. The current operating license for RBS expires at midnight on August 29, 2025.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 155 (Monday, August 14, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37908-37910]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17125]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-458; NRC-2017-0141]


Entergy Operations, Inc.; River Bend Station, Unit 1

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: 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 renewal of operating license NPF-47, which 
authorizes Entergy Operations, Inc., (the applicant), to operate River 
Bend Station, Unit 1 (RBS). The renewed license would authorize the 
applicant to operate RBS for an additional 20 years beyond the period 
specified in the current license. The current operating license for RBS 
expires at midnight on August 29, 2025.

DATES: A request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene must 
be filed by October 13, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2017-0141 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-2017-0141. 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 
License Renewal Application is available in ADAMS under Accession No. 
ML17153A282.
     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: Emmanuel Sayoc, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-4084; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC received a license renewal application (LRA) from Entergy 
Operations, Inc., dated May 25, 2017, requesting renewal of operating 
license No. NPF-47, which authorizes Entergy Operations, Inc., to 
operate RBS at 3091 megawatts thermal. The RBS is a boiling-water 
reactor designed by General Electric and is located in St. 
Francisville, Louisiana. Entergy Operations, Inc., submitted the 
application, pursuant to part 54 of title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR). A notice of receipt of the LRA was published in 
the Federal Register on June 28, 2017 (82 FR 29344).
    The NRC's staff has determined that Entergy Operations, Inc. 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., 50-458, 
for operating license No. NPF-47, will be retained. The determination 
to accept the LRA for docketing does not constitute a determination 
that a 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 renewed license, the NRC will have 
made the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended 
(the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations. In accordance 
with 10 CFR 54.29, the NRC may issue a

[[Page 37909]]

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 (CLB) and that any changes made to the 
plant's CLB will comply with the Act and the Commission's regulations.
    Additionally, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.95(c), the NRC will 
prepare an environmental impact statement as a supplement to the 
Commission's NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for 
License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants,'' dated June 2013. In 
considering the LRA, the Commission must find that the applicable 
requirements of Subpart A of 10 CFR part 51 have been satisfied, and 
that 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 
persons (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 a 
current copy of 10 CFR 2.309. The NRC's regulations are accessible 
electronically from the NRC Library on the NRC's Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/. Alternatively, a copy of 
the regulations is available at the NRC's Public Document Room, located 
at One White Flint North, Room O1-F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first 
floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852. If a petition is filed, the 
Commission or a presiding officer will rule on the petition and, if 
appropriate, a notice of hearing will be issued.
    As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition should specifically explain 
the reasons why intervention should be permitted with particular 
reference to the following general requirements for standing: (1) The 
name, address, and telephone number of the petitioner; (2) the nature 
of the petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to the 
proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the 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 petitioner's interest.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(f), the petition must also set 
forth the specific contentions which the petitioner seeks to have 
litigated in 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 petitioner must 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 petitioner 
intends to rely in proving the contention at the hearing. The 
petitioner must also provide references to the specific sources and 
documents on which the petitioner intends to rely to support its 
position on the issue. The petition must include sufficient information 
to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant or licensee on 
a material issue of law or fact. Contentions must be limited to matters 
within the scope of the proceeding. The contention must be one which, 
if proven, would entitle the petitioner to relief. A petitioner who 
fails to satisfy the requirements at 10 CFR 2.309(f) 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. 
Parties have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the 
hearing with respect to resolution of that party's admitted 
contentions, including the opportunity to present evidence, consistent 
with the NRC's regulations, policies, and procedures.
    Petitions must be filed no later than 60 days from the date of 
publication of this notice. 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). The petition must be filed in 
accordance with the filing instructions in the ``Electronic Submissions 
(E-Filing)'' section of this document.
    A State, local governmental body, Federally-recognized Indian 
Tribe, or agency thereof, may submit a petition to the Commission to 
participate as a party under 10 CFR 2.309(h)(1). The petition should 
state the nature and extent of the petitioner's interest in the 
proceeding. The petition should be submitted to the Commission by 
October 13, 2017. The petition must be filed in accordance with the 
filing instructions in the ``Electronic Submission (E-Filing)'' section 
of this document, and should meet the requirements for petitions set 
forth in this section, except that under 10 CFR 2.309(h)(2) a State, 
local governmental body, or federally recognized Indian Tribe, or 
agency thereof does not need to address the standing requirements in 10 
CFR 2.309(d) if the facility is located within its boundaries. 
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).
    If a hearing is granted, any person who is not a party to the 
proceeding and is not affiliated with or represented by a party may, in 
the discretion of the presiding officer, be permitted to make a limited 
appearance pursuant to the provisions of 10 CFR 2.315(a). A person 
making a limited appearance may make an oral or written statement of 
his or her position on the issues but may not otherwise participate in 
the proceeding. A limited appearance may be made at any session of the 
hearing or at any prehearing conference, subject to the limits and 
conditions as may be imposed by the presiding officer. Details 
regarding the opportunity to make a limited appearance will be provided 
by the presiding officer if such sessions are scheduled.

III. Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)

    All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including a 
request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene (petition), 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 that request to 
participate under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be filed in accordance with the 
NRC's E-Filing rule (72 FR 49139; August 28, 2007, as amended at 77 FR 
46562, August 3, 2012). 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. Detailed 
guidance on making electronic submissions may be found in the Guidance 
for Electronic Submissions to the NRC and on the NRC's Web site at 
http://www.nrc.gov/

[[Page 37910]]

site-help/e-submittals.html. 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 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 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 request 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 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. Once a participant has obtained a 
digital ID certificate and a docket has been created, the participant 
can then submit adjudicatory documents. Submissions must be in Portable 
Document Format (PDF). Additional guidance on PDF submissions is 
available on the NRC's public Web site at http://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. 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 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 
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 so that they can 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 Web site at http://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., 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 
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 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, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and 
Adjudications Staff. Participants filing adjudicatory documents 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 the 
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at 
https://adams.nrc.gov/ehd, unless excluded pursuant to an order of the 
Commission or the presiding officer. If you do not have an NRC-issued 
digital ID certificate as described above, 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. For example, in some 
instances, individuals provide home addresses in order to demonstrate 
proximity to a facility or site. 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.
    Detailed information about the license renewal process can be found 
under the Nuclear Reactors icon at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html on the NRC's Web site. Copies of the 
application to renew the operating license for RBS are available for 
public inspection at the NRC's PDR, and at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html, the NRC's Web site while 
the application is under review.
    The NRC staff has verified that a copy of the license renewal 
application is also available to local residents near the site at the 
St. Charles Parish Library--East Regional Library, 160 W. Campus Drive, 
Destrehan, Louisiana 70047.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of August, 2017.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Sheldon Stuchell,
Chief, Projects Management and Guidance Branch, Division of License 
Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2017-17125 Filed 8-11-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P