Source: https://regulations.justia.com/regulations/fedreg/2020/06/15/2020-12846.html
Timestamp: 2020-08-06 10:11:21
Document Index: 47400209

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 20', 'art 3045', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72']

Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, 36243-36245 [2020-12846] :: Nuclear Regulatory Commission :: Agencies And Commissions :: Regulation Tracker :: Justia
Justia Regulation Tracker Agencies And Commissions Nuclear Regulatory Commission Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, 36243-36245 [2020-12846]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, 36243-36245 [2020-12846]
Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 115 / Monday, June 15, 2020 / Notices An electronic copy of each presentation should be emailed to the Cognizant ACRS Staff at least one day before meeting. In accordance with Subsection 10(d) of Public Law 92–463 and 5 U.S.C. 552b(c), certain portions of this meeting may be closed, as specifically noted above. Use of still, motion picture, and television cameras during the meeting may be limited to selected portions of the meeting as determined by the Chairman. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during the open portions of the meeting. ACRS meeting agendas, meeting transcripts, and letter reports are available through the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) at pdr.resource@ nrc.gov, or by calling the PDR at 1–800– 397–4209, or from the Publicly Available Records System component of NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) which is accessible from the NRC website at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html or https://www.nrc.gov/ reading-rm/doc-collections/#ACRS/. Video teleconferencing service is available for observing open sessions of ACRS meetings. Those wishing to use this service should contact Thomas Dashiell, ACRS Audio Visual Technician (301–415–7907), between 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. (Eastern Time), at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure the availability of this service. Individuals or organizations requesting this service will be responsible for telephone line charges and for providing the equipment and facilities that they use to establish the video teleconferencing link. The availability of video teleconferencing services is not guaranteed. Dated: June 9, 2020. Russell E. Chazell, Federal Advisory Committee Management Officer, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 2020–12798 Filed 6–12–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES [Docket Nos. 72–1032, 72–78, 50–317 and 50–318; NRC–2020–0113] Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Exemption; issuance. AGENCY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:04 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 250001 exemption in response to a request submitted by Exelon Generation Company, LLC (EGC) on October 3, 2019, for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP). This exemption would permit CCNPP to load and store spent fuel with a larger pellet diameter than is authorized in the Holtec International, Inc. (Holtec) HI–STORM FW storage system in Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment 1, Revision 1. DATES: The exemption was issued on June 8, 2020. ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2020–0113 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 website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC–2020–0113. Address questions about NRC docket IDs to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301–287– 9127; email: Jennifer.Borges@nrc.gov. 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 publiclyavailable 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 pdr.resource@ nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this document (if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Allen, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415– 6877; email: William.Allen@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background CCNPP has been storing PWR spent fuel in its specific licensed independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) utilizing Special Nuclear Materials License No. SNM–2505, which was issued in November 1992. However, for the loading campaign commencing in early summer of 2021, CCNPP is transitioning to store its PWR fuel at a separate on-site ISFSI, which will use the HI–STORM FW dry storage system, PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 36243 Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML15152A358) under the general license provisions in part 72 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). Although the HI– STORM FW storage system is approved for a fuel pellet diameter of 0.3805 inches (0.9665 centimeters), some of the CCNPP spent fuel assemblies would be precluded from being loaded in an upcoming loading campaign because they have fuel pellets with a maximum diameter of 0.3810 inches (0.9677 centimeters). II. Request/Action By application dated October 3, 2019 (ADAMS Accession No. ML19276D398), EGC submitted a request for an exemption from those provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3) and 72.212(b)(11) that require compliance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 to allow CCNPP to load spent fuel with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810 inches (0.9677 centimeters), utilizing Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 for the Holtec HI–STORM FW storage system. In evaluating the request, the NRC also considered, pursuant to authority in 10 CFR 72.7, exempting Exelon from similar requirements in 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2) and (b)(5)(i) and 10 CFR 72.214, ‘‘List of approved spent fuel storage casks.’’ III. Discussion Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, the Commission may, upon application by any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant such exemptions from the requirements of the regulations of 10 CFR part 72 as it determines are authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security, and are otherwise in the public interest. The NRC staff prepared a safety evaluation report (ADAMS Accession No. ML20115E378) to document its safety evaluation of the proposed action (i.e., granting an exemption to authorize loading spent fuel with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810 inches (0. 9677 centimeters)), to assure that the exemption is authorized by law, will protect life or property or the common defense and security and are otherwise in the public interest. As summarized in this document, the NRC’s safety review concludes that the requested exemption meets the requirements for issuance in 10 CFR 72.7. E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM 15JNN1 36244 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 115 / Monday, June 15, 2020 / Notices A. The Exemption Is Authorized by Law This exemption would permit CCNPP to load spent fuel with a larger fuel pellet diameter than authorized in Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1. Section 72.7 allows the Commission to grant exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR part 72 if the exemption is authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security. Issuance of this exemption is consistent with the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and is not otherwise inconsistent with NRC’s regulations or other applicable laws. Therefore, issuance of the exemption is authorized by law. B. Will Not Endanger Life or Property or the Common Defense and Security As discussed in the safety evaluation report and summarized in the following sections, the NRC staff has found that EGC’s proposed action is acceptable and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Safety Review of the Requested Exemption EGC submitted an exemption request to deviate from the maximum fuel pellet diameter for 14x14C fuel, stored in the Holtec HI–STORM FW storage system. The staff reviewed the exemption request and concludes that the proposed exemption from certain requirements of 10 CFR part 72 will not cause the HI– STORM FW storage system to encounter conditions beyond those for which it has been evaluated and demonstrated to meet the applicable safety requirements in 10 CFR part 72. As explained below, the staff evaluated the potential thermal, radiation and criticality safety impacts of granting the exemption. Thermal EGC stated that the small change in fuel pellet diameter, which is used in the effective fuel thermal conductivity calculations, has a second order impact on the effective fuel thermal properties, and that a larger fuel pellet diameter reduces the resistance to heat transfer by decreasing the helium gap between the fuel pellet and cladding. In addition, EGC asserted that the 14x14C fuel assembly is bounded by the WE 17x17 fuel assembly adopted in the licensing basis analyses. Staff reviewed the information provided and concluded that the impact of loading a fuel pellet with a slightly increased diameter is negligible to the thermal design functions of the loaded cask. Staff also reviewed the HI–STORM FW final safety analysis report (FSAR) and confirmed that the heat load of the VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:04 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 250001 14x14C fuel assembly is bounded by the head load of the 17x17 fuel assembly. Shielding EGC evaluated the impact of increasing the fuel pellet diameter from 0.3805 inches (0.9665 cm) to 0.3810 inches (0.9677 cm). EGC determined that the small increase in heavy metal from 438 kg to 439.15 kg caused by increasing the fuel pellet diameter is conservatively bounded by the uranium weight for the design basis fuel assembly in Table 5.2.1 of the HI– STORM FW FSAR of 469 kg. The staff reviewed this information and determined that the proposed change to the fuel pellet diameter will not significantly change the system shielding analyses in the HI–STORM FW FSAR. Further, the staff determined that the WE17X17 design basis fuel assembly in the HI–STORM FW FSAR with 469 kg of heavy metal bounds the CCNPP 14X14C fuel assemblies with 439.15 kg of heavy metal since the system shielding analyses in the FSAR also bound the expected increase in radiation from the slightly larger fuel pellets. Criticality EGC stated that Holtec evaluated a fuel pellet diameter of 0.3805 inches (0.9665 cm) in the HI–STORM FW FSAR, to determine the effect of an upper manufacturing tolerance of 0.0005 inches (0.0013 cm) applied to the nominal value of 0.3805 inches (0.9665 cm). In that final safety analysis report, Holtec determined that the system keffective with this larger diameter of fuel pellet is statistically the same as the system k-effective with the nominal fuel pellet diameter. Therefore, EGC stated that its proposed exemption has no effect on the criticality safety of the HI– STORM FW storage system. The staff reviewed the final safety analysis report and determined that the proposed change to the fuel pellet diameter will not result in changes to system keffective that are statistically significant. The staff finds that this proposed exemption does not affect the ability of the HI–STORM FW storage system to meet the criticality safety requirements of 10 CFR part 72. Review of Common Defense and Security EGC’s exemption request is not related to any aspect of the physical security or defense of the CCNPP ISFSI. Modification of the fuel pellet diameter does not affect the ISFSI security plans. Therefore, granting the exemption would not result in any potential PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 impacts to common defense and security. Based on its review, the NRC staff has determined that under the requested exemption, the storage system will continue to meet the safety requirements of 10 CFR part 72 and the offsite dose limits of 10 CFR part 20 and, therefore, will not endanger life or property. The NRC staff also found that the exemption would not endanger the common defense and security. D. Otherwise in the Public Interest In determining whether the exemption is in the public interest, the staff considered the no-action alternative of denying the exemption request. Denial of the exemption request would cause CCNPP to postpone loading of spent fuel that contains the larger fuel pellet diameter until it is approved in an amendment for CoC No. 1032 or alternative loading arrangements are implemented. EGC stated that the proposed exemption is in the public interest because it would allow CCNPP to load spent fuel in an inherently safe, passive system on schedule, which would enable CCNPP to continue to maintain full-core offload capability. The staff reviewed the information provided by EGC, and based upon the above stated information, concludes that granting the requested exemption continues to provide adequate protection of public health and safety and is otherwise in the public interest. E. Environmental Considerations The NRC staff also considered whether there would be any significant environmental impacts associated with the exemption. For this proposed action, the NRC staff performed an environmental assessment pursuant to 10 CFR 51.30. The environmental assessment concluded that the proposed action would not significantly impact the quality of the human environment. The NRC staff concluded that the proposed action would not result in any changes in the types or amounts of any radiological or non-radiological effluents that may be released offsite, and there is no significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure because of the proposed action. The environmental assessment and the finding of no significant impact was published on June 1, 2020 (85 FR 33204). IV. Conclusion Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, this exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or property E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM 15JNN1 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 115 / Monday, June 15, 2020 / Notices or the common defense and security, and is otherwise in the public interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants EGC an exemption from those provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), (b)(3), and (b)(5)(i), 10 CFR 72.214, and the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that require compliance with terms, conditions, and specifications of the Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 for the CCNPP to load spent fuel with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810 inches (0.9677 centimeters) in the HI– STORM FW storage system using Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1. The exemption is effective upon issuance. Dated: June 10, 2020. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. John B. McKirgan, Chief, Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 2020–12846 Filed 6–12–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC–2020–0001] Sunshine Act Meetings Week of June 15, 2020. PLACE: via Teleconference. STATUS: Open. TIME AND DATE: at Denise.McGovern@nrc.gov. The schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on short notice. The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the internet at: https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/ public-meetings/schedule.html. The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in these public meetings or need this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from the public meetings in another format (e.g., braille, large print), please notify Anne Silk, NRC Disability Program Specialist, at 301–287–0745, by videophone at 240–428–3217, or by email at Anne.Silk@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Members of the public may request to receive this information electronically. If you would like to be added to the distribution, please contact the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301– 415–1969), or by email at Wendy.Moore@nrc.gov or Tyesha.Bush@ nrc.gov. The NRC is holding the meetings under the authority of the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. Dated: June 11, 2020. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Denise L. McGovern, Policy Coordinator, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 2020–12974 Filed 6–11–20; 4:15 pm] Week of June 15, 2020 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES BILLING CODE 7590–01–P Monday, June 15, 2020 3 p.m.—Affirmation Session (Public Meeting via Teleconference) (Tentative), Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc. (Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 3)—Request for Hearing in Inspections, Test, Analysis and Acceptance Criteria (ITAAC) Proceeding (Tentative) (Contact: Denise McGovern: 301– 415–0681) Additional information: By a vote of 5–0 on June 11, 2020, the Commission determined pursuant to U.S.C. 552b(e) and ’9.107(a) of the Commission’s rules that the above referenced Affirmation Session be held with less than one week notice to the public. The meeting is scheduled on June 15, 2020, and will be held via teleconference. Details for joining the teleconference in listen only mode can be found at https:// www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg. CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information or to verify the status of meetings, contact Denise McGovern at 301–415–0681 or via email VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:04 Jun 12, 2020 Jkt 250001 36245 telephone for advice on filing alternatives. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David A. Trissell, General Counsel, at 202–789–6820. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Background III. Compliance with Legal Requirements IV. Data Collection V. Notice of Commission Action VI. Ordering Paragraphs I. Introduction In accordance with 39 U.S.C. 3641 and 39 CFR part 3045, the Postal Service filed notice of its intent to conduct a market test of an experimental product called Extended Mail Forwarding.1 The Postal Service states that currently, when residential and commercial postal customers move, they may file a permanent Change of Address (COA) request for the forwarding of mail addressed to their old address to the new address for one year. Notice at 1. After one year, mail bearing the customer’s old address is returned to sender or wasted. Id. at 2. Extended Mail Forwarding will provide customers who submit a permanent COA request with the option of extending forwarding of all First-Class Mail, First-Class Package Service Commercial, and Priority Mail pieces beyond the one year period for a fee. Id. The Postal Service intends for the market test to run for two full years beginning on August 1, 2020. Id. at 3. II. Background POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. MT2020–2; Order No. 5539] Market Test of Experimental Product Postal Regulatory Commission. Notice. AGENCY: ACTION: The Commission is noticing a recently filed Postal Service proposal to conduct a market test of an experimental product called Extended Mail Forwarding. This notice informs the public of the filing, invites public comment, and takes other administrative steps. DATES: Comments are due: June 30, 2020. SUMMARY: Submit comments electronically via the Commission’s Filing Online system at http:// www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit comments electronically should contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section by ADDRESSES: PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 On June 8, 2020, the Postal Service filed the Notice proposing the Extended Mail Forwarding market test. The Postal Service asserts that Extended Mail Forwarding will ensure customers receive mailpieces for which they are the intended recipient and which is more essential than ever before in light of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. It states that customers will exercise greater control over their mail forwarding expiration dates with more time to update and communicate with their mailing contacts. Id. The Postal Service also asserts that Extended Mail Forwarding will provide cost savings for the Postal Service because the cost of forwarding is less than the cost of handling Undeliverable as Addressed mailpieces. Id. at 4. The Postal Service states that Extended Mail Forwarding will be 1 United States Postal Service Notice of Market Test of Experimental Product—Extended Mail Forwarding, June 8, 2020 (Notice). E:\FR\FM\15JNN1.SGM 15JNN1
[Pages 36243-36245]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12846]
[Docket Nos. 72-1032, 72-78, 50-317 and 50-318; NRC-2020-0113]
Station, Units 1 and 2; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation
exemption in response to a request submitted by Exelon Generation
Company, LLC (EGC) on October 3, 2019, for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear
Power Plant (CCNPP). This exemption would permit CCNPP to load and
store spent fuel with a larger pellet diameter than is authorized in
the Holtec International, Inc. (Holtec) HI-STORM FW storage system in
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment 1, Revision 1.
DATES: The exemption was issued on June 8, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0113 when contacting the
Federal Rulemaking website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0113. Address
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6877; email:
CCNPP has been storing PWR spent fuel in its specific licensed
independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) utilizing Special
Nuclear Materials License No. SNM-2505, which was issued in November
1992. However, for the loading campaign commencing in early summer of
2021, CCNPP is transitioning to store its PWR fuel at a separate on-
site ISFSI, which will use the HI-STORM FW dry storage system,
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 (ADAMS
Package Accession No. ML15152A358) under the general license provisions
in part 72 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR).
Although the HI-STORM FW storage system is approved for a fuel pellet
diameter of 0.3805 inches (0.9665 centimeters), some of the CCNPP spent
fuel assemblies would be precluded from being loaded in an upcoming
loading campaign because they have fuel pellets with a maximum diameter
of 0.3810 inches (0.9677 centimeters).
By application dated October 3, 2019 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML19276D398), EGC submitted a request for an exemption from those
provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3) and 72.212(b)(11) that require
compliance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 to
allow CCNPP to load spent fuel with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of
0.3810 inches (0.9677 centimeters), utilizing Amendment No. 1, Revision
1 for the Holtec HI-STORM FW storage system. In evaluating the request,
the NRC also considered, pursuant to authority in 10 CFR 72.7,
exempting Exelon from similar requirements in 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2) and
(b)(5)(i) and 10 CFR 72.214, ``List of approved spent fuel storage
casks.''
The NRC staff prepared a safety evaluation report (ADAMS Accession
No. ML20115E378) to document its safety evaluation of the proposed
action (i.e., granting an exemption to authorize loading spent fuel
with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810 inches (0. 9677
centimeters)), to assure that the exemption is authorized by law, will
protect life or property or the common defense and security and are
otherwise in the public interest. As summarized in this document, the
NRC's safety review concludes that the requested exemption meets the
requirements for issuance in 10 CFR 72.7.
This exemption would permit CCNPP to load spent fuel with a larger
fuel pellet diameter than authorized in Certificate of Compliance No.
1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1. Section 72.7 allows the Commission
to grant exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR part 72 if the
exemption is authorized by law and will not endanger life or property
or the common defense and security. Issuance of this exemption is
consistent with the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and is not
otherwise inconsistent with NRC's regulations or other applicable laws.
Therefore, issuance of the exemption is authorized by law.
As discussed in the safety evaluation report and summarized in the
following sections, the NRC staff has found that EGC's proposed action
is acceptable and will not endanger life or property or the common
Safety Review of the Requested Exemption
EGC submitted an exemption request to deviate from the maximum fuel
pellet diameter for 14x14C fuel, stored in the Holtec HI-STORM FW
storage system. The staff reviewed the exemption request and concludes
that the proposed exemption from certain requirements of 10 CFR part 72
will not cause the HI-STORM FW storage system to encounter conditions
beyond those for which it has been evaluated and demonstrated to meet
the applicable safety requirements in 10 CFR part 72. As explained
below, the staff evaluated the potential thermal, radiation and
criticality safety impacts of granting the exemption.
EGC stated that the small change in fuel pellet diameter, which is
used in the effective fuel thermal conductivity calculations, has a
second order impact on the effective fuel thermal properties, and that
a larger fuel pellet diameter reduces the resistance to heat transfer
by decreasing the helium gap between the fuel pellet and cladding. In
addition, EGC asserted that the 14x14C fuel assembly is bounded by the
WE 17x17 fuel assembly adopted in the licensing basis analyses. Staff
reviewed the information provided and concluded that the impact of
loading a fuel pellet with a slightly increased diameter is negligible
to the thermal design functions of the loaded cask. Staff also reviewed
the HI-STORM FW final safety analysis report (FSAR) and confirmed that
the heat load of the 14x14C fuel assembly is bounded by the head load
of the 17x17 fuel assembly.
EGC evaluated the impact of increasing the fuel pellet diameter
from 0.3805 inches (0.9665 cm) to 0.3810 inches (0.9677 cm). EGC
determined that the small increase in heavy metal from 438 kg to 439.15
kg caused by increasing the fuel pellet diameter is conservatively
bounded by the uranium weight for the design basis fuel assembly in
Table 5.2.1 of the HI-STORM FW FSAR of 469 kg. The staff reviewed this
information and determined that the proposed change to the fuel pellet
diameter will not significantly change the system shielding analyses in
the HI-STORM FW FSAR. Further, the staff determined that the WE17X17
design basis fuel assembly in the HI-STORM FW FSAR with 469 kg of heavy
metal bounds the CCNPP 14X14C fuel assemblies with 439.15 kg of heavy
metal since the system shielding analyses in the FSAR also bound the
expected increase in radiation from the slightly larger fuel pellets.
EGC stated that Holtec evaluated a fuel pellet diameter of 0.3805
inches (0.9665 cm) in the HI-STORM FW FSAR, to determine the effect of
an upper manufacturing tolerance of 0.0005 inches (0.0013 cm) applied
to the nominal value of 0.3805 inches (0.9665 cm). In that final safety
analysis report, Holtec determined that the system k-effective with
this larger diameter of fuel pellet is statistically the same as the
system k-effective with the nominal fuel pellet diameter. Therefore,
EGC stated that its proposed exemption has no effect on the criticality
safety of the HI-STORM FW storage system. The staff reviewed the final
safety analysis report and determined that the proposed change to the
fuel pellet diameter will not result in changes to system k-effective
that are statistically significant. The staff finds that this proposed
exemption does not affect the ability of the HI-STORM FW storage system
to meet the criticality safety requirements of 10 CFR part 72.
Review of Common Defense and Security
EGC's exemption request is not related to any aspect of the
physical security or defense of the CCNPP ISFSI. Modification of the
fuel pellet diameter does not affect the ISFSI security plans.
Therefore, granting the exemption would not result in any potential
impacts to common defense and security.
staff also found that the exemption would not endanger the common
request. Denial of the exemption request would cause CCNPP to postpone
loading of spent fuel that contains the larger fuel pellet diameter
until it is approved in an amendment for CoC No. 1032 or alternative
loading arrangements are implemented.
EGC stated that the proposed exemption is in the public interest
because it would allow CCNPP to load spent fuel in an inherently safe,
passive system on schedule, which would enable CCNPP to continue to
maintain full-core offload capability. The staff reviewed the
information provided by EGC, and based upon the above stated
information, concludes that granting the requested exemption continues
to provide adequate protection of public health and safety and is
June 1, 2020 (85 FR 33204).
interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants EGC an exemption from
those provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), (b)(3), and (b)(5)(i), 10 CFR
72.214, and the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that require compliance
with terms, conditions, and specifications of the Certificate of
Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 for the CCNPP to load
spent fuel with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810 inches (0.9677
centimeters) in the HI-STORM FW storage system using Certificate of
Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1.
[FR Doc. 2020-12846 Filed 6-12-20; 8:45 am]