21814 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 70 / Wednesday, April 11, 2012 / Notices 

• Fax comments to: RADB at 301– 

492–3446. 

For additional direction on accessing 

information and submitting comments, 

see ‘‘Accessing Information and 

Submitting Comments’’ in the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 

this document. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

William Holston, Office of Nuclear 

Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, 

DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415– 

8573; email: William.Holston@nrc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Accessing Information and 

Submitting Comments 

A. Accessing Information 

Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2012– 

0055 when contacting the NRC about 

the availability of information regarding 

this document. You may access 

information related to this document by 

the following methods: 

• Federal Rulemaking Web Site: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and search 

for Docket ID NRC–2012–0055. 

• NRC’s Interim Staff Guidance Web 

Site: The LR–ISG documents are also 

available online under the ‘‘License 

Renewal’’ heading at http:// 

www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/#int. 

• NRC’s Agencywide Documents 

Access and Management System 

(ADAMS): You may access publicly 

available documents online in the NRC 

Library at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The draft 

LR–ISG–2011–03 is available in 

ADAMS under Accession No. 

ML11244A058. The GALL Report and 

SRP–LR are available in ADAMS under 

Accession Nos. ML103490041 and 

ML103490036, 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–2012– 

0055 in the subject line of your 

comment submission, in order to ensure 

that the NRC is able to make your 

comment submission available to the 

public in this docket. 

The NRC cautions you not to include 

identifying or contact information in 

comment submissions that you do not 

want to be publicly disclosed. The NRC 

posts all comment submissions at http://

www.regulations.gov as well as entering 

the comment submissions into ADAMS, 

and the NRC does not 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 in 

their comment submissions that they do 

not want to be publicly disclosed. Your 

request should state that the NRC will 

not edit comment submissions to 

remove such information before making 

the comment submissions available to 

the public or entering the comment 

submissions into ADAMS. 

II. Background 

On March 9, 2012 (77 FR 14446), the 

NRC requested public comments on 

draft LR–ISG–2011–03. Comments were 

to be submitted by April 9, 2012. By 

letter dated March 27, 2012, the Nuclear 

Energy Institute (NEI) requested the 

comment period be closed on April 20, 

2012. The NRC staff is granting NEI’s 

request. The NRC staff believes that 

granting the request to close the 

comment period on April 20, 2012, will 

allow stakeholders a chance to better 

prepare their responses to LR–ISG– 

2011–03. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 5th day 

of April 2012. 

Melanie A. Galloway, 

Acting Director, Division of License Renewal, 

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. 

[FR Doc. 2012–8670 Filed 4–10–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

Advisory Committee on Reactor 

Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the 

ACRS Subcommittee on Power 

Uprates; Notice of Meeting 

The ACRS Subcommittee on Power 

Uprates will hold a meeting on April 26, 

2012, Room T–2B3, 11545 Rockville 

Pike, Rockville, Maryland. 

The entire meeting will be open to 

public attendance, with the exception of 

portions that may be closed to protect 

information that is proprietary pursuant 

to 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(c)(4). 

The agenda for the subject meeting 

shall be as follows: 

Thursday, April 26, 2012–8:30 a.m. 

Until 5 p.m. 

The Subcommittee will review the 

Safety Evaluation (SER) associated with 

the St. Lucie 1 extended power uprate 

application. The Subcommittee will 

hear presentations by and hold 

discussions with the NRC staff, the 

licensee, Florida Power and Light 

Company, and other interested persons 

regarding this matter. The 

Subcommittee will gather information, 

analyze relevant issues and facts, and 

formulate proposed positions and 

actions, as appropriate, for deliberation 

by the Full Committee. 

Members of the public desiring to 

provide oral statements and/or written 

comments should notify the Designated 

Federal Official (DFO), Mr. Weidong 

Wang (Telephone 301–415–6279 or 

Email: Weidong.Wang@nrc.gov) five 

days prior to the meeting, if possible, so 

that appropriate arrangements can be 

made. Thirty-five hard copies of each 

presentation or handout should be 

provided to the DFO thirty minutes 

before the meeting. In addition, one 

electronic copy of each presentation 

should be emailed to the DFO one day 

before the meeting. If an electronic copy 

cannot be provided within this 

timeframe, presenters should provide 

the DFO with a CD containing each 

presentation at least thirty minutes 

before the meeting. Electronic 

recordings will be permitted only 

during those portions of the meeting 

that are open to the public. Detailed 

procedures for the conduct of and 

participation in ACRS meetings were 

published in the Federal Register on 

October 17, 2011, (76 FR 64127–64128). 

Detailed meeting agendas and meeting 

transcripts are available on the NRC 

Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/acrs. Information 

regarding topics to be discussed, 

changes to the agenda, whether the 

meeting has been canceled or 

rescheduled, and the time allotted to 

present oral statements can be obtained 

from the Web site cited above or by 

contacting the identified DFO. 

Moreover, in view of the possibility that 

the schedule for ACRS meetings may be 

adjusted by the Chairman as necessary 

to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, 

persons planning to attend should check 

with these references if such 

rescheduling would result in a major 

inconvenience. 

If attending this meeting, please enter 

through the One White Flint North 

building, 11555 Rockville Pike, 

Rockville, MD. After registering with 

security, please contact Mr. Theron 


wreier-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 70 / Wednesday, April 11, 2012 / Notices 21815 

Brown (240–888–9835) to be escorted to 

the meeting room. 

Dated: March 26, 2012. 

Antonio Dias, 

Technical Advisor, Advisory Committee on 

Reactor Safeguards. 

[FR Doc. 2012–8666 Filed 4–10–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[NRC–2012–0089; Docket Nos. 52–027 and 

52–028; License Nos. NPF–93 and NPF–94; 

EA–12–063] 

South Carolina Electric And Gas 

Company (Virgil C. Summer Nuclear 

Station Units 2 and 3); Order Modifying 

Licenses with Regard to Reliable Spent 

Fuel Pool Instrumentation (Effective 

Immediately) 

I 

The Licensee identified in this Order 

holds licenses issued by the U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC 

or Commission) authorizing operation 

and construction of nuclear power 

plants in accordance with the Atomic 

Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and 

Title 10 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52, ‘‘Licenses, 

Certifications, and Approvals for 

Nuclear Power Plants.’’ 

II 

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 

earthquake struck off the coast of the 

Japanese island of Honshu. The 

earthquake resulted in a large tsunami, 

estimated to have exceeded 14 meters 

(45 feet) in height, that inundated the 

Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant 

site. The earthquake and tsunami 

produced widespread devastation across 

northeastern Japan and significantly 

affected the infrastructure and industry 

in the northeastern coastal areas of 

Japan. 

When the earthquake occurred, 

Fukushima Dai-ichi Units 1, 2, and 3 

were in operation and Units 4, 5, and 6 

were shut down for routine refueling 

and maintenance activities. The Unit 4 

reactor fuel was offloaded to the Unit 4 

spent fuel pool. Following the 

earthquake, the three operating units 

automatically shut down and offsite 

power was lost to the entire facility. The 

emergency diesel generators (EDGs) 

started at all six units providing 

alternating current (ac) electrical power 

to critical systems at each unit. The 

facility response to the earthquake 

appears to have been normal. 

Approximately 40 minutes following 

the earthquake and shutdown of the 

operating units, the first large tsunami 

wave inundated the site, followed by 

additional waves. The tsunami caused 

extensive damage to site facilities and 

resulted in a complete loss of all ac 

electrical power at Units 1 through 5, a 

condition known as station blackout. In 

addition, all direct current electrical 

power was lost early in the event on 

Units 1 and 2 and after some period of 

time at the other units. Unit 6 retained 

the function of one air-cooled EDG. 

Despite their actions, the operators lost 

the ability to cool the fuel in the Unit 

1 reactor after several hours, in the Unit 

2 reactor after about 70 hours, and in the 

Unit 3 reactor after about 36 hours, 

resulting in damage to the nuclear fuel 

shortly after the loss of cooling 

capabilities. 

The Unit 4 spent fuel pool contained 

the highest heat load of the six units 

with the full core present in the spent 

fuel pool and the refueling gates 

installed. However, because Unit 4 had 

been shut down for more than 3 months, 

the heat load was low relative to that 

present in spent fuel pools immediately 

following shutdown for reactor 

refueling. Following the earthquake and 

tsunami, the operators in the Units 3 

and 4 control room focused their efforts 

on stabilizing the Unit 3 reactor. During 

the event, concern grew that the spent 

fuel was overheating, causing a hightemperature reaction of steam and 

zirconium fuel cladding generating 

hydrogen gas. This concern persisted 

primarily due to a lack of readily 

available and reliable information on 

water levels in the spent fuel pools. 

Helicopter water drops, water cannons, 

and cement delivery vehicles with 

articulating booms were used to refill 

the pools, which diverted resources and 

attention from other efforts. Subsequent 

analysis determined that the water level 

in the Unit 4 spent fuel pool did not 

drop below the top of the stored fuel 

and no significant fuel damage 

occurred. The lack of information on the 

condition of the spent fuel pools 

contributed to a poor understanding of 

possible radiation releases and 

adversely impacted effective 

prioritization of emergency response 

actions by decision makers. 

Following the events at the 

Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power 

plant, the NRC established a senior-level 

agency task force referred to as the NearTerm Task Force (NTTF). The NTTF 

was tasked with conducting a 

systematic and methodical review of the 

NRC regulations and processes and 

determining if the agency should make 

additional improvements to these 

programs in light of the events at 

Fukushima Dai-ichi. As a result of this 

review, the NTTF developed a 

comprehensive set of recommendations, 

documented in SECY–11–0093, ‘‘NearTerm Report and Recommendations for 

Agency Actions Following the Events in 

Japan,’’ dated July 12, 2011. These 

recommendations were modified by the 

NRC staff following interactions with 

stakeholders. Documentation of the NRC 

staff’s efforts is contained in SECY–11– 

0124, ‘‘Recommended Actions To Be 

Taken Without Delay From the NearTerm Task Force Report,’’ dated 

September 9, 2011, and SECY–11–0137, 

‘‘Prioritization of Recommended 

Actions To Be Taken in Response to 

Fukushima Lessons Learned,’’ dated 

October 3, 2011. 

As directed by the Commission’s Staff 

Requirements Memorandum (SRM) for 

SECY–11–0093, the NRC staff reviewed 

the NTTF recommendations within the 

context of the NRC’s existing regulatory 

framework and considered the various 

regulatory vehicles available to the NRC 

to implement the recommendations. 

SECY–11–0124 and SECY–11–0137 

established the NRC staff’s prioritization 

of the recommendations based upon the 

potential safety enhancements. 

Current regulatory requirements and 

existing plant capabilities allow the 

NRC to conclude that a sequence of 

events such as the Fukushima Dai-ichi 

accident is unlikely to occur in the 

United States. Therefore, continued 

operation and continued licensing 

activities do not pose an imminent 

threat to public health and safety. 

However, the NRC’s assessment of new 

insights from the events at Fukushima 

Dai-ichi leads the NRC staff to conclude 

that additional requirements must be 

imposed on Licensees and CP holders to 

increase the capability of nuclear power 

plants to mitigate beyond-design-basis 

external events. These additional 

requirements represent a substantial 

increase in the protection of public 

health and safety. The Commission has 

decided to administratively exempt this 

Order from applicable provisions of the 

Backfit Rule, 10 CFR 50.109, and the 

issue finality requirements in 10 CFR 

52.63 and 10 CFR Part 52, Appendix D, 

Paragraph VIII. 

Additional details on an acceptable 

approach for complying with this Order 

will be contained in final interim staff 

guidance (ISG) scheduled to be issued 

by the NRC in August 2012. This 

guidance will include a template to be 

used for the plan that will be submitted 

in accordance with Section IV, 

Condition C.1 below. 

III 

Reasonable assurance of adequate 

protection of public health and safety 


wreier-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES