NRC SEEKS COMMENT ON DRAFT GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS

REGARDING POST-FUKUSHIMA REQUIREMENTS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has drafted several Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) 

documents to ensure proper implementation of three Orders the agency issued to U.S. nuclear 

power plants in March, in response to lessons learned from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear 

accident.

Public comments on the draft ISGs will help the NRC ensure the guidance is as complete 

as possible. The draft ISGs are currently available, and the comment period will run from no 

later than June 7 to July 7; the NRC will consider the comments before finalizing the ISGs in 

August. Once the draft ISGs are published in the Federal Register, comments can be submitted 

via regulations.gov using Docket IDs 2012-0067, 2012-0068 and 2012-0069.

The draft ISGs represent acceptable approaches to meeting the Orders’ requirements 

before their Dec. 31, 2016, compliance deadline. The ISGs are not mandatory, but U.S. nuclear 

power plants would have to seek NRC approval if they wanted to follow a different compliance 

approach.

The first Order requires all U.S. plants to better protect portable safety equipment put in 

place after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and to obtain sufficient equipment to support all reactors at a 

given site simultaneously. The draft ISG for this Order incorporates the industry’s “FLEX” 

approach to dealing with any scenario that knocks out all of a plant’s alternating current electric

sources. The staff concludes that approach will successfully implement the Order. The first draft 

ISG is available in the NRC’s electronic document database, ADAMS, under accession number 

ML12146A014; the associated industry document describing “FLEX” is available under 

accession number ML12143A232.

The second Order applies only to U.S. boiling-water reactors that have “Mark I” or 

“Mark II” containment structures. Mark I reactors must improve installed venting systems that 

help prevent or mitigate core damage in the event of a serious accident; Mark II reactors must 

install these venting systems. The draft ISG for this Order provides more detail on technical 

requirements for the vents, as well as how vent designs and operating procedures should avoid, 

where possible, relying on plant personnel taking actions under hazardous conditions. The 

second draft ISG is available in ADAMS under accession number ML12146A371.

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

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E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.gov

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No. 12-064 May 31, 2012
The third Order requires all plants to install enhanced equipment for monitoring water 

levels in each plant’s spent fuel pool. The draft ISG for this Order incorporates an industry 

document that the staff concludes will successfully implement the Order. The ISG defines in 

more detail the water levels the new equipment must accurately report, as well as standards for 

equipment mounting, powering and testing, personnel training and other criteria. The third draft 

ISG is available in ADAMS under accession number ML12144A323; the associated industry 

document is available under accession number ML12135A414.

The NRC also issued an information request in March, including earthquake and flooding 

hazard “walkdowns,” during which skilled engineers verify that the plants conform to their

current license requirements. The NRC has issued final guidance covering these walkdowns,

which includes incorporation of industry documents that the staff concludes will lead to 

appropriate reviews for all U.S. nuclear power plants.

The flooding walkdown guidance is available in the NRC’s electronic document 

database, ADAMS, under accession number ML12144A142; the associated industry document is 

available under accession number ML121440522. The seismic walkdown guidance endorsement

is available under accession number ML12145A529; the associated industry document is 

currently being added to ADAMS and will be publically available in the next few days.

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