[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51692-51693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-25418]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-325 and 50-324]
Carolina Power & Light Company; Brunswick Steam Electric Plant,
Units 1 and 2; Exemption
1.0 Background
The Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L, the licensee) is the
holder of Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-71 and DPR-62, which
authorize operation of the Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and
2 (BSEP). The licenses provide, among other things, that the facility
is subject to all rules, regulations, and orders of the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) now or hereafter in effect.
The facility consists of two boiling-water reactors located in
Brunswick County in North Carolina.
2.0 Request/Action
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), part 50,
appendix G, requires that pressure-temperature (P-T) limit curves for
BSEP be developed in accordance with the methods invoked by Appendix G
to Section XI of the ASME Code.
In summary, by letter dated May 1, 2001, the licensee submitted a
request to use an exemption method that would allow CP&L to deviate
from complying with the requirements in 10 CFR part 50, appendix G, for
generating the P-T limit curves for BSEP.
3.0 Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the Commission may, upon application by
any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from
the requirements of 10 CFR part 50 when (1) the exemptions are
authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to public health or
safety, and are consistent with the common defense and security; and
(2) when special circumstances are present. These circumstances include
the special circumstances that 10 CFR 50.60 requires that all light-
water nuclear power reactors must meet the fracture toughness
requirements of appendix G of 10 CFR 50. 10 CFR part 50, appendix G
requires P-T limit curves to be at least as conservative as limits
obtained by following the methods of analysis and the margins of safety
of Appendix G of Section XI of the ASME Code. Requests for exemptions
to the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, appendices G and H, may be
submitted pursuant to 10 CFR 50.60(b), which allows licensees to use
alternatives to the respective fracture toughness and reactor vessel
material surveillance program requirements of the appendices, if an
exemption to use the alternatives is granted by the Commission pursuant
to 10 CFR 50.12. According to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(1), the Commission may
grant exemptions to the requirements of 10 CFR part 50 if the
exemptions are authorized by law, and will not present an undue risk to
the public health and safety, and are consistent with the common
defense and security.
Based upon a consideration of the licensee's information and the
NRC's Safety Evaluation, the staff concludes that granting an exemption
under the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12(a)(1) is appropriate.
[[Page 51693]]
The Safety Evaluation may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at
the NRC's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible electronically from the ADAMS Public Library
component on the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Public
Electronic Reading Room).
4.0 Conclusion
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR
50.12(a), the exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or
property or common defense and security, and is, otherwise, in the
public interest. Also, special circumstances are present. Therefore,
the Commission hereby grants CP&L an exemption from the requirements of
10 CFR 50, appendix G, for generating the P-T limit curves for BSEP.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the
granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on the
quality of the human environment (66 FR 50458).
This exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of October 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John A. Zwolinski,
Director, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-25418 Filed 10-9-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P