[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5267-5269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00940]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2020-0279]


Application and Testing of Safety-Related Diesel Generators in 
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-1303, ``Application and 
Testing of Safety-Related Diesel Generators in Nuclear Power.'' This 
draft guide is proposed revision 5 of Regularity Guide (RG) 1.9. DG-
1303 provides updated guidance that the staff of the NRC considers 
acceptable to demonstrate

[[Page 5268]]

compliance with the NRC regulations for safety-related alternating 
current (AC) power supplies intended for use as onsite emergency power 
sources in nuclear power plants. This revision of RG 1.9 would endorse, 
with supplements and clarifications, Institute of Electrical and 
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Std 387-2017, ``IEEE Standard for Criteria 
for Diesel Generator Units Applied as Standby Power Supplies for 
Nuclear Power Generating Stations'' and IEEE Std 2420-2019, ``IEEE 
Standard for Combustion Turbine Generator Units Applied as Standby 
Power Supplies for Nuclear Power Generating Stations.'' This guidance 
would help ensure that the standby emergency power supplies are 
qualified, have sufficient capacity, and have the necessary reliability 
and availability for design-basis events.

DATES: Submit comments by February 18, 2021. 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; 
however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal Rulemaking website:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0279. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges; 
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cd87a8a3a3a4aba8bfe38fa2bfaaa8be8da3bfaee3aaa2bb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="662c0308080f000314482409140103152608140548010910">[email protected]</span></a>. For technical 
questions, contact the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
    <bullet> Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
    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: Lilianna Ramadan, telephone: 301-415-
2463, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2d614441444c434c037f4c404c494c436d435f4e034a425b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="561a3f3a3f3738377804373b373237381638243578313920">[email protected]</span></a>, and Stanley Gardocki, telephone: 
301-415-1067, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ce9dbaafa0a2abb7e089afbcaaa1ada5a78ea0bcade0a9a1b8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="712205101f1d14085f361003151e121a18311f03125f161e07">[email protected]</span></a>. Both are staff of the 
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, 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-2020-0279 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information regarding this action. You may 
obtain publicly available information related to this action, by any of 
the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0279.
    <bullet> NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#740410065a0611071b01061711341a06175a131b02"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="08786c7a267a6d7b677d7a6b6d48667a6b266f677e">[email protected]</span></a>.
    <bullet> Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request 
to the PDR via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#265642540854435549535445436648544508414950"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7d0d190f530f180e12080f1e183d130f1e531a120b">[email protected]</span></a> or call 1-800-397-4209 or 
301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

B. Submitting Comments

    The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal Rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please 
include Docket ID NRC-2020-0279 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 https://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 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 submissions into ADAMS.

II. Additional Information

    The NRC is issuing for public comment a draft regulatory guide in 
the NRC's ``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to 
describe methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing 
specific parts of the NRC's regulations, to explain techniques that the 
staff uses in evaluating specific issues or postulated events, and to 
describe information that the staff needs in its review of applications 
for permits and licenses.
    This DG titled, ``Application and Testing of Safety-Related Diesel 
Generators in Nuclear Power Plants,'' is identified by its temporary 
task number, DG-1303. The draft guide is proposed revision 5 of RG 1.9 
of the same name (ADAMS Accession No. ML14281A071). This DG provides 
updated guidance for actions and information that is needed for 
licensees, applicants, and combined operating license (COL) holders to 
meet the NRC regulations for safety-related standby AC power supplies 
intended for use as onsite emergency power sources in nuclear power 
plants. Information provided in this DG may be used by NRC staff, 
applicants, COLs holders, and licensees. This guidance helps ensure 
that the emergency standby AC power supplies are qualified, have 
sufficient capacity, and have the necessary reliability and 
availability for design-basis events.
    The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory 
analysis (ADAMS Accession No. ML14297A097). The staff develops a 
regulatory analysis to assess the value of issuing or revising a 
regulatory guide as well as alternative courses of action.

III. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality

    DG-1303, if finalized, would revise RG 1.9, revision 4, which 
describes methods acceptable to the NRC staff for complying with the 
NRC's regulations for safety-related standby AC power supplies intended 
for use as onsite emergency power sources in nuclear power plants.
    Issuance of DG-1303, if finalized, would not constitute backfitting 
as defined in section 50.109 of title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) 50.109, ``Backfitting,'' and as described in NRC 
Management Directive (MD) 8.4, ``Management of Backfitting, Forward 
Fitting, Issue Finality, and Information Requests''; constitute forward 
fitting as that term is defined and described in MD 8.4; or affect the

[[Page 5269]]

issue finality of any approval issued under 10 CFR part 52. As 
explained in DG-1303, applicants and licensees would not be required to 
comply with the positions set forth in DG-1303.

    Dated: January 12, 2021.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Meraj Rahimi,
Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Generic Issues Branch, Division of 
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2021-00940 Filed 1-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


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