98-24458. Use of PRA in Plant-Specific Reactor Regulatory Activities: Final Regulatory Guide and Standard Review Plan Section; Availability

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 176 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48771-48772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-24458]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Use of PRA in Plant-Specific Reactor Regulatory Activities: Final 
Regulatory Guide and Standard Review Plan Section; Availability

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued three new guides in 
its Regulatory Guide Series, along with two conforming sections of the 
Standard Review Plan. The guides are Regulatory Guide 1.175, ``An 
Approach for Plant-Specific, Risk-Informed, Decisionmaking: Inservice 
Testing''; Regulatory Guide 1.176, ``An Approach for Plant-Specific, 
Risk-Informed Decisionmaking: Graded Quality Assurance''; and 
Regulatory Guide 1.177, ``An Approach for Plant-Specific, Risk-Informed 
Decisionmaking: Technical Specifications.'' The revised sections of 
NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan,'' are Chapter 3.9.7, ``Standard 
Review Plan for Risk-Informed Decisionmaking: Inservice Testing,'' and 
Chapter 16.1, ``Standard Review Plan for Risk-Informed Decisionmaking: 
Technical Specifications.'' Together with Regulatory Guide 1.174, ``An 
Approach for Using Probabilistic Risk Assessment in Risk-Informed 
Decisions on Plant-Specific Changes to the Licensing Basis,'' and the 
accompanying Chapter 19 of the Standard Review Plan, ``Use of 
Probabilistic Risk Assessment in Plant-Specific, Risk-Informed 
Decisionmaking: General Guidance,'' these documents provide the basic 
framework for an acceptable approach for use by power reactor licensees 
in preparing proposals for plant-specific changes to their licensing 
bases using risk information as a partial basis.
    Comments and suggestions in connection with items for inclusion in 
guides currently being developed or improvements in all published 
guides are encouraged at any time. Written comments may be submitted to 
the Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, 
Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555.
    Single copies of regulatory guides, both active and draft, may be 
obtained free of charge by writing the Reproduction and Distribution 
Services Section, OCIO, USNRC, Washington, DC

[[Page 48772]]

20555-0001; or by fax to [phone]; or by email to [email protected] 
The SRP sections of NUREG-0800 may be purchased from the U.S. 
Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 37082, Washington, DC 20402-9328 
(telephone [phone]). Active guides may be purchased from the 
National Technical Information Service on a standing order basis. 
Details on this service may be obtained by writing NTIS, 5285 Port 
Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. NTIS also sells single copies of 
NUREG-series documents. Copies of regulatory guides and the Standard 
Review Plan sections are available for inspection or copying for a fee 
from the NRC Public Document Room at 2120 L Street NW., Washington, DC; 
the PDR's mailing address is Mail Stop LL-6, Washington, DC 20555; 
telephone [phone]; fax [phone]. Regulatory guides are not 
copyrighted, and Commission approval is not required to reproduce them.

Background

    On August 16, 1995, the Commission published in the Federal 
Register a final policy statement on the Use of Probabilistic Risk 
Assessment Methods in Nuclear Regulatory Activities (60 FR 42622). The 
policy statement included the following policy regarding expanded NRC 
use of PRA:
     The use of PRA technology should be increased in all 
regulatory matters to the extent supported by the state of the art in 
PRA methods and data and in a manner that complements the NRC's 
deterministic approach and supports the NRC's traditional defense-in-
depth philosophy.
     PRA and associated analyses (e.g., sensitivity studies, 
uncertainty analyses, and importance measures) should be used in 
regulatory matters, where practical within the bounds of the state of 
the art, to reduce unnecessary conservatism associated with current 
regulatory requirements, regulatory guides, license commitments, and 
staff practices. Where appropriate, PRA should be used to support 
proposals for additional regulatory requirements in accordance with 10 
CFR 50.109 (Backfit Rule). Appropriate procedures for including PRA in 
the process for changing regulatory requirements should be developed 
and followed. It is, of course, understood that the intent of this 
policy is that existing rules and regulations shall be complied with 
unless these rules and regulations are revised.
     PRA evaluations in support of regulatory decisions should 
be as realistic as practicable and appropriate supporting data should 
be publicly available for review.
     The Commission's safety goals for nuclear power plants and 
subsidiary numerical objectives are to be used with appropriate 
consideration of uncertainties in making regulatory judgments on the 
need for proposing and backfitting new generic requirements on nuclear 
power plant licensees.
    It was the Commission's intent that implementation of this policy 
statement would improve the regulatory process in three areas:
    1. Enhancement of safety decisionmaking by the use of PRA insights,
    2. More efficient use of agency resources, and
    3. Reduction in unnecessary burdens on licensees.
    In parallel with the development of Commission policy on uses of 
risk assessment methods, the NRC developed an agency-wide 
implementation plan for application of probabilistic risk assessment 
insights within the regulatory process (SECY-95-079). This 
implementation plan included tasks to develop the series of regulatory 
guides that is the subject of this notice. In June 1997, the regulatory 
guides and SRP sections were issued in draft for public comment. A 
discussion of the comments received and their disposition, as well as 
SECY-95-079, may be obtained from the NRC Public Document Room at 2120 
L Street NW., Washington, DC; the PDR's mailing address is Mail Stop 
LL-6, Washington, DC 20555; telephone [phone]; fax (202) 634-
3343. (5 U.S.C. 552(a))

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of August 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Margaret V. Federline,
Deputy Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 98-24458 Filed 9-10-98; 8:45 am]
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