Project Overview for the Design Certification Application Review - ABWR Amendment
On June 12, 2009, the NRC published a final rule in Federal Register/Vol. 74, No. 112 (28112), "Consideration of Aircraft Impacts for New Nuclear Power Reactors." This new rule requires "...applicants for new nuclear power reactors to perform a design-specific assessment of the effects of the impact of a large, commercial aircraft. The applicant is required to use realistic analyses to identify and incorporate design features and functional capabilities to show, with reduced use of operator actions, that either the reactor core remains cooled or the containment remains intact, and either spent fuel cooling or spent fuel pool integrity is maintained." These requirements apply to various types of applicants, including the certified ABWR, and South Texas Project (STP) Units 3 & 4 Combined License (COL) application.
On June 30, 2009, STPNOC submitted Revision 5 to the DCR for the ABWR to address the requirements in 10 CFR 50.150, the Commission's new aircraft impact rule. In the application, STPNOC stated that the NRC is currently reviewing the STP Units 3 & 4 COL application, and the target date for issuing the FSER is September 2011. As such, it is STPNOC's intent that STP Units 3 & 4 COL application will meet the requirements of 10 CFR 50.150 by referencing the ABWR standard design certification after the NRC has approved this application.
In the acceptance review of the application, it was discovered that the ABWR DCR amendment application was not accompanied by a supplemental environmental report (ER) as required by 10 CFR 51.55(b) for a design certification amendment request. In a September 9, 2009 letter, the NRC requested STPNOC to provide the supplemental ER to address Severe Accident mitigation Design Alternatives (SAMDA). On November 10, 2009, STPNOC submitted "Applicant's Supplemental Environmental Report - Amendment to ABWR Standard Design Certification."
Over the course of the project, the STPNOC submitted several revisions to their application. On September 23, 2010, STPNOC submitted the final revision, Revision 3, to their ABWR DCR amendment application. The staff completed their review and issued the Final Safety Evaluation Report on October 14, 2010. The NRC published the proposed rule on January 20, 2011 and the final rule was published in the Federal Register on December 16, 2011 (76 FR 78096).
