[Federal Register: January 23, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 15)]
[Notices]
[Page 7518]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23ja01-115]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Availability of Technical Study of Spent Fuel Pool Accident Risk
at Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability of report.
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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued its
``Technical Study of Spent Fuel Pool Accident Risk at Decommissioning
Nuclear Power Plants.''
As the number of power reactors involved in the decommissioning
process increases, the ability to address regulatory issues generically
has become more important. After a nuclear power plant permanently
shuts down and the reactor is defueled, the traditional accident
sequences that dominate operating reactor risk are no longer
applicable. The predominant source of risk remaining at permanently
shutdown plants involves accidents associated with spent fuel stored in
the spent fuel pool.
Following a Commission meeting held on March 17, 1999, the NRC
staff formed a technical working group to evaluate spent fuel pool
accident risk at decommissioning plants. The staff set out to develop a
risk-informed technical basis that could be used to develop rulemaking
and to establish a predictable method for reviewing future exemption
requests and to identify the need for any research in areas of large
uncertainty. The staff intends for this approach to meet the NRC
outcome goals of maintaining safety, reducing unnecessary regulatory
burden, increasing public confidence, and improving efficiency and
effectiveness.
Preliminary versions of the study were issued for public comment
and technical review in June 1999 and February 2000. A public workshop
to discuss the report was held in July 1999. Comments received from
industry and public stakeholders, the Advisory Committee on Reactor
Safety, and other technical reviewers have been considered in preparing
the report. Quality assessment of the staff's preliminary analysis has
been aided by a small panel of human reliability analysis experts who
evaluated the human performance analysis assumptions, methods, and
modeling. A broad quality review was carried out at the Idaho National
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.
ADDRESSES: The report is available at the NRC Public Document
Room,11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, and through the NRC
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at
ML010160527 for the report and ML010160532 for the appendices. The
report is also available via the Internet on the NRC web page at http:/
/www.nrc.gov/NRC/REACTOR/DECOMMISSIONING/SF/index.html. Requests for
single copies may be made to David J. Wrona, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Mail Stop O-7C2, Washington, DC 20555-0001 or by telephone
at 301-415-1924 or email to djw1@nrc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Hubbard, U.S. NRC, Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Mail Stop O-11A11, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone 301-415-2870; email: gth@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of January, 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Stuart A. Richards,
Director, Project Directorate IV & Decommissioning, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-1985 Filed 1-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P