95-18926. Southern California Edison Co.  

  • [Federal Register Volume 60, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 2, 1995)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 39462-39463]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 95-18926]
    
    
    
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    NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
    [Docket Nos. 50-206, 50-361, 50-362]
        In the Matter of Southern California Edison Company (San Onofre 
    Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3).
    
    
    Southern California Edison Co.
    
    Exemption
    
    I
    
        Southern California Edison Company (SCE or the licensee) is the 
    holder of Facility Operating License No. DPR-13, which authorizes 
    possession and maintenance of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating 
    Station, Unit 1 (SONGS 1) and Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-10 
    and NPF-15, which authorizes operation of San Onofre Nuclear Generating 
    Station, Units 2 and 3 (SONGS 2 and 3), respectively. The licenses 
    provide, among other things, that the SONGS units are subject to all 
    rules, regulations, and orders of the Commission now or hereafter in 
    effect. The facilities consist of three pressurized water reactors at 
    the SCE site located in San Diego County, California. SONGS 1 is 
    permanently shut down, while Unites 2 and 3 remain operational.
    
    II
    
        It is stated in 10 CFR 73.55, ``Requirements for physical 
    protection of licensed activities in nuclear power reactors against 
    radological sabotage,'' paragraph (a), that ``The licenses shall 
    establish and maintain an onsite physical protection system and 
    security organization which will have as its objective to provide high 
    assurance that activities involving special nuclear material are not 
    inimical to the common defense and security and do not constitute an 
    unreasonable risk to the public health and safety.''
        It is specified in 10 CFR 73.55(d), ``Access Requirements,'' 
    paragraph (1) that ``The licensee shall control all points of personnel 
    and vehicle access into a protected area.'' It is specified in 10 CFR 
    73.55(d)(5) that ``A numbered 
    
    [[Page 39463]]
    picture badge identification system shall be used for all individuals 
    who are authorized access to protected areas without escort.'' It 
    further states that individuals not employed by the licensee (e.g., 
    contractors) may be authorized access to protected areas without an 
    escort provided that the individual, ``receives a picture badge upon 
    entrance into the protected area which must be returned upon exit from 
    the protected area * * *.''
        By letter dated March 13, 1995, the licensee requested an exemption 
    from certain requirements of 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5). Specifically, the 
    requested exemption would allow contractors who have unescorted access 
    to retain possession of their picture badges instead of returning them 
    as they exit the protected area. (The existing regulations allow 
    licensee employees authorized unescorted access to protected areas to 
    retain their badges upon departure from the protected area.) The 
    proposed exemption is a preliminary step towards enabling SCE to revise 
    the SONGS security plan under 10 CFR 50.54(p) to facilitate 
    implementation of an alternative unescorted access system which would 
    eliminate the need for site security personnel to issue and retrieve 
    picture badges at the entrance/exit locations to the protected area and 
    would eventually allow all individuals (contractors and SCE employees) 
    with unescorted access to the protected area to keep their picture 
    badges in their possession when departing the SONGS protected area.
    
    III
    
        Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, ``Specific exemptions,'' the Commission 
    may, upon application of any interested person or upon its own 
    initiative, grant such exemptions in this part as it determines are 
    authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common 
    defense and security, and are otherwise in the public interest. The 
    Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 73.55 allows the Commission to 
    authorize a licensee to provide alternative measures for protection 
    against radiological sabotage provided the licensee demonstrates that 
    the proposed measures meet the general performance requirements of the 
    regulation, and that the overall level of system performance provides 
    protection against radiological sabotage equivalent to that which would 
    be provided by the regulation.
        Currently, unescorted access into the protected area for both 
    employee and contractor personnel into the SONGS plants is controlled 
    through the use of picture badges. Positive identification of personnel 
    who are authorized and request access into the protected area is 
    established by security personnel making a visual comparison of the 
    individual requesting access and that individual's picture badge. In 
    accordance with 10 CFR 73.55(d)(5), contractor personnel are not 
    allowed to take their picture badges offsite. In addition, in 
    accordance with the plant's physical security plan, the licensee's 
    employees are also not allowed to take their picture badges offsite.
        The proposed alternative measure, to provide an equivalent level of 
    protection against radiological sabotage, is a system that will require 
    that all individuals with authorized unescorted access have the 
    physical characteristics of their hand (hand geometry) registered with 
    their picture badge number in a computerized access control system. 
    Therefore, all authorized individuals must not only have their picture 
    badge to gain access to the protected area, but must also have their 
    hand geometry confirmed. initially, following revision to the site 
    security plan, individuals with unescorted access will be allowed to 
    retrieve their own badges before entering the protected area and return 
    their badges to storage locations when existing the protected area for 
    retrieval on their next entrance. Eventually, following changes to the 
    security plan conducted under 10 CFR 50.54(p), all individuals, 
    including contractors, who have authorized unescorted access into the 
    protected area may be allowed to keep their picture badges in their 
    possession when departing the SONGS protected area.
        All other access processes, including search function capability, 
    will remain the same. A security officer responsible for access control 
    will continue to be positioned within a hardened structure. It should 
    be noted that the proposed system is only for individuals with 
    authorized unescorted access and will not be used for those individuals 
    requiring escorts.
        Sandia National Laboratories conducted testing which demonstrated 
    that the hand geometry equipment that SCE proposed to use possesses 
    strong performance characteristic. Details of the testing performed, 
    available in thee Sandia report, ``A performance Evaluation of 
    Biometric Identification Devices,'' SAND91--0276 UC--906 Unlimited 
    Release, June 1991, demonstrated that the hand geometry equipment is 
    capable of meeting a detection probability of 90 percent with a 95 
    percent confidence level. Based on the Sandia report, the false 
    acceptance rate for the proposed hand geometry system would be at least 
    equivalent to that of the current photo-identification system. The site 
    security plans will be revised in accordance with 10 CFR 50.54(p) to 
    allow implementation of the hand geometry system.
    
    IV
    
        For the foregoing reasons, the Commission has determined that the 
    proposed alternative measure for protection against radiological 
    sabotage meet the same high assurance objective and the general 
    performance requirements of 10 CFR 73.55. In addition, the staff has 
    determined that the overall level of the proposed system's performance 
    will provide protection against radiological sabotage equivalent to 
    that which is provided by the current system in accordance with 10 CFR 
    73.55.
        Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 
    73.5 this exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or 
    property or the common defense and security, and is otherwise in the 
    public interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants Southern 
    California Edison Company an exemption from those requirements of 10 
    CFR 73.55(d)(5) relating to the returning of picture badges upon exit 
    from the protected area such that individuals not employed by the 
    licensee, i.e., contractors, who are authorized unescort4ed access into 
    the protected area, can retrieve their own badges before entering the 
    protected area and return their badges to the badge storage location 
    when existing the protected area.
        Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the 
    issuance of this exemption will have no significant impact on the 
    environment (60 FR 37110 as July 19, 1995).
        This exemption is effective upon issuance.
    
        Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of July 1995.
    
        For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
    Brian K. Grimes,
    Director, Divisions of Project Support, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
    Regulations.
    [FR Doc. 95-18926 Filed 8-1-95; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
    
    

Document Information

Published:
08/02/1995
Department:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
95-18926
Pages:
39462-39463 (2 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Docket Nos. 50-206, 50-361, 50-362
PDF File:
95-18926.pdf