New Reactor Activities

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

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

5. 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

6. 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)

7. WestinghouseAP1000 Certification expected January 2006

8. General Electric ESBWR (Currently in NRC review)

9. Framatome EPR (currently in pre-application review)

10. 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)

11. 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)

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Examples of Types of ITAACs Included in Design Control Documents (reference: AP1000 DCD Tier 1, Section 2.1.2, “Reactor Coolant System”)

16. 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: • One or more ITAAC acceptance criteria have not been or will not be met, and • The specific operational consequences of nonconformance that would be contrary to providing reasonable assurance of adequate protection of the public health and safety

17. 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 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: *EP has ITAAC

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. CIP Manual Chapters • IMC 2501 - ESP Inspections • IMC 2502 - Pre-COL Inspections • IMC 2503 - ITAAC Inspections • IMC 2504 - Non-ITAAC Inspections

22. (South Carolina) Reference: November 21, 2005 Commission Meeting on New Reactor Activities

23. 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 22-30 months 24-48 months (NRC Note: assumes COL references a certified design and an ESP) X Antitrust Submittal Full Power Operations 9 mos COLA Preparation NRC Review & Hearing Plant Construction S/U Tests Operation • Annual P-S DCD update and report on departures • DAC Completion • LWA-1, LWA-2; implement • Construction FFD Program • Annual P-S DCD updates • Qtrly reports on departures • ITAAC completion, NRC verification and Section 52.99 notices • QA Meeting w/NRC • Early ITAAC-related activities 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 27 *Reference: NEI 04-01, Revision D, submitted to NRC on December 21, 2004 (ML050110295)

24. 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