New Reactor Activities

Joseph Colaccino, Senior Project Manager Division of New Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission January 2006

Agenda

• • • • • • • • Discuss goals for licensing under 10 CFR Part 52 Provide overview of Part 52 licensing process components and current NRC activities associated with these components – Design certification – Early site permit (ESP) – Combined license (COL) – Inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria (ITAAC) Discuss the review and implementation of operational programs for new plant licensing and construction Discuss guidance documents being developed by NRC – NRC COL application guide – NRC standard review plan update Introduce construction inspection program (CIP) New reactor forecast Industry timeline for COL activities Summary 2

Goals for Licensing Under Part 52

• More predictable licensing process • Resolve safety and environmental issues before authorizing construction • Reduce financial risk to licensees (COL) • Encourage standardization of nuclear plants 3

Part 52 Licensing Process

Early Site Permit Or Optional Pre-Application Review Combined License Application Combined License Review, Hearing, and Decision* Verification Of Regulations with ITAAC Reactor Operation Standard Design Certification Or *A combined license application can reference an early site permit, a standard design certification, both, or neither. If an early site permit and/or a standard design certification is not referenced, the applicant must provide an equivalent level of information in the combined license application.

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Reference: November 21, 2005 Commission Meeting on New Reactor Activities

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Design Certifications

• Certified design is appendix to 10 CFR Part 52 • Allows an applicant to obtain pre-approval of an essentially complete plant design • Reduces licensing uncertainty by resolving all design issues • Facilitates standardization • Higher degree of regulatory finality • 15 year duration 5

Design Certification Review

What is reviewed: •Final design information w/ITAAC •Postulated site parameters •Interface requirements •Resolution of severe accident issues •Advanced reactor testing requirements What is not reviewed: •Site safety (seismology, etc.) •Environmental impact •Operational programs •Site-specific design features •Selected design areas (design acceptance criteria) 6

Westinghouse AP1000

Certification expected January 2006 7

General Electric ESBWR

(Currently in NRC review) Reactor and Fuel Building 5 8

Framatome EPR

(currently in pre-application review) 9

ESP

• Allows an applicant to “bank” a site • Reduces licensing uncertainty by resolving site-related issues early in the licensing process • 10 – 20 year duration • Applications under review – Dominion (North Anna) – Exelon (Clinton) – Entergy (Grand Gulf) • Pre-application – Southern (Vogtle) 10

Early Site Permit Review

• Site Safety Review – – – – – – –

Seismology Geology Hydrology Meteorology Geography Demography (population distribution) Site Hazards Evaluation

• Emergency Preparedness Review –

Evaluate proposed emergency plan, or emergency preparedness information

–

Evaluate physical impediments, population distribution, & transportation routes

–

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

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Early Site Permit Review

• Environmental Protection Review – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Surface water quality, hydrology, & use Aquatic ecology Ground-water use & quality Threatened or endangered species Air quality Land use Uranium fuel cycle & waste management Human health Socioeconomics Postulated accidents Decommissioning Environmental justice Alternative sites

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COL

• Combined construction permit and conditional operating license for a nuclear power plant • May reference an ESP, a standard design certification, both, or neither • Objective is to resolve all safety & environmental issues before authorizing construction • Prior to fuel load, must verify the facility has been constructed in accordance with COL • COL is the fundamental licensing process in Part 52 for reducing regulatory risk for companies building nuclear power plants 13

ITAAC

• First mentioned in an Atomic Industrial Forum (AIF) Report on “Standardization of Nuclear Power Plants in US” (1986) – Nuclear industry representatives proposed ITAAC so that licensees would know in advance the specific inspections and acceptance criteria for those inspections – ITAAC codified in Part 52 in 1989 – Included in the Atomic Energy Act (Energy Policy Act of 1992) • Provide reasonable assurance that the facility has been constructed and will be operated in conformity with the license, the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, and the Commission's rules and regulations (10 CFR 52.97(b)(1)) • ITAAC are required to be submitted as part of the design certification and combined license applications • ITAAC reviewed by NRC staff in conjunction with application • ITAAC are conditions placed on the COL • Opportunity for optional hearing regarding satisfaction of ITAAC acceptance criteria 14

Examples of Types of ITAACs Included in Design Control Documents (reference: AP1000 DCD Tier 1, Section 2.1.2, “Reactor Coolant System”) Design Commitment ASME Code piping retains pressure boundary integrity at design pressure RCP Flywheel can withstand design overspeed condition Inspections, Tests, Analyses Report demonstrating piping meets ASME Code Offsite test RCS provides automatic depressurization during design basis events RCS provides circulation of coolant to remove heat from core Onsite inspection Test with analysis Safety related displays identified in table can be retrieved in MCR Simple Inspection Acceptance Criteria A report exists and concludes piping meets requirements of ASME Code Each flywheel passes overspeed condition of 125% of operating speed Minimum elevation of ADS outlet valves is greater than plant elevation of 110' Calculated post fuel load RCS flowrate is ≥301,670 gpm Safety related displays identified in table can be retrieved in MCR

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Optional Hearing (10 CFR 52.103)

• Commission publishes notice of intended operation in Federal Register 180 days before scheduled fuel load • Any person whose interest may be affected by operation of the plant can request a hearing • Hearing granted if prima facie evidence supports: 1. One or more ITAAC acceptance criteria have not been or will not be met, and 2. The specific operational consequences of nonconformance that would be contrary to providing reasonable assurance of adequate protection of the public health and safety 16

• • • • • • • • • • •

Operational Programs

SECY-05 0197, “Review of Operational Programs in a Combined License Application and Generic Emergency Planning Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria,” identified the following as operational programs: Containment Leak Rate Testing Emergency Preparedness (EP)* Fire Protection Maintenance Rule Operator Training Operator Requalification Plant Staff Training Physical Security Weapons Training and Weapons Qualification and Reqalification Access Authorization Fitness for Duty • • • • • • • • • • • Radiation Reactor Vessel Material Surveillance Process and Effluent Monitoring and Sampling Quality Assurance Operation Preservice Inspection Inservice Inspection Preservice Testing Inservice Testing Equipment Qualification Motor-Operated Valve Testing Safeguards Contingency Plan

*EP has ITAAC

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Development of Standard Format and Content Guide for a Combined License Application • • • • • • Starting point: Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.70

Complete set of information to be included in COL application Applicable to applications referencing a certified design, an early site permit, both, or neither Work-in-progress chapters will be placed on NRC website to facilitate stakeholder interaction (public meetings) Scheduled issuance for draft RG for public comment in June 2006 Workshop tentatively scheduled for July 2006 to discuss draft RG 18

Update to NRC Standard Review Plan (SRP) (NUREG-0800)

• •

Approximately 290 SRP Sections (including Branch Technical Positions)

– –

Certain SRP sections to be updated by 2007 to support COL applications

• • • •

High priority SRP sections new or existing sections providing guidance related to new reactor licensing (e.g., Section 14.3 on ITAAC); sections addressing operational programs (including industry identified sections); sections with inconsistent technical guidance; and site-specific sections addressed in RS 002, “Processing Applications for Early Site Permits.”

•

Medium priority SRP sections design-related sections used in previous design certification reviews

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Construction Inspection Program

• Collect data to support licensing decisions • Monitor and evaluate construction activities supporting ITAAC completion • Monitor and evaluate the development and implementation of operational programs • Evaluate operational readiness • NUREG-1789: 10 CFR Part 52 Construction Inspection Program Framework Document 20

CIP Manual Chapters

• IMC 2501 - ESP Inspections • IMC 2502 - Pre-COL Inspections • IMC 2503 - ITAAC Inspections • IMC 2504 - Non-ITAAC Inspections 21

New Reactor Forecast

FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 Finish 3 ESPs Start Southern ESP Continue ESBWR DC

(South Carolina)

Start Unannounced COL* Start Dominion COL Start Southern COL* Start EPR DC Start Duke COL Start NuStart 1 COL Start NuStart 2 COL Start UniStar 1 COL* Start Entergy COL* Start Progress 1 COL* Start Progress 2 COL* Pre-application Reviews * Identifies new items, not scheduled in April 2005 Commission Meeting

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Reference: November 21, 2005 Commission Meeting on New Reactor Activities

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Figure 3-1* – Overview and Timeline of COLA-Related Activities

This figure provides an overview of the COL process from project decision to plant operation. The figure depicts key milestones, concepts, processes and relationships discussed in NEI 04-01

Project Decision COLA Submittal COL Issuance ITAAC Finding Fuel Load

18-24 months 9 mos 22-30 months

(NRC Note: assumes COL references a certified design and an ESP)

24-48 months

Full Power Operations

COLA Preparation • QA Meeting w/NRC • Early ITAAC-related activities NRC Review & Hearing • Annual P-S DCD update and report on departures • DAC Completion • LWA-1, LWA-2; implement Construction FFD Program Plant Construction S/U Tests Operation • Annual P-S DCD updates • Qtrly reports on departures • ITAAC completion, NRC verification and Section 52.99 notices 9 mos

NRC: Operational Program Inspections

Long-lead procurement Site-specific & detailed design and NRC Engineering Design Verification Schedule coordination with NRC construction inspection program Implement QA, Part 21 and DRAP Programs *

Reference: NEI 04-01, Revision D, submitted to NRC on December 21, 2004 (ML050110295)

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Summary

• NRC currently reviewing design certifications and ESPs • NRC preparing for a large number of COL applications in 2007-2008 time frame • NRC preparing regulatory framework to review the incoming COL applications and perform inspection of construction activities • Timely review of COL applications requires both NRC preparation of regulatory framework and industry standardization of applications • For more information, visit our website: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactor-licensing.html

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