NRC endorsement of industry's expedited approach to seismic evaluations

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001

May 7,2013

Mr. Joseph E. Pollock, Executive Director
Nuclear Energy Institute
1776 I Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006-3708
SUBJECT:

ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE FINAL DRAFT REPORT
XXXXXX, "SEISMIC EVALUATION GUIDANCE: AUGMENTED APPROACH
FOR THE RESOLUTION OF FUKUSHIMA NEAR-TERM TASK FORCE
RECOMMENDATION 2.1: SEISMIC," AS AN ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE TO
THE MARCH 12, 2012, INFORMATION REQUEST FOR SEISMIC
REEVALUATIONS

Dear Mr. Pollock:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to the Nuclear
1
Energy Institute's (NEI's) letter of April 9, 2013. Your letter included a discussion of the update
to the central and eastern United States (CEUS) ground motion model (GMM); an attached final
draft of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Report, "Seismic Evaluation Guidance:
Augmented Approach for the Resolution of Fukushima Near-Term Task Force
Recommendation 2.1: Seismic" (hereafter referred to as the EPRI Guidance); and attached
proposed schedules accounting for the GMM update, implementation of the EPRI Guidance,
and seismic resource limitations.
The NEI letter indicates that industry intends to supplement its use of the staff-endorsed
"Seismic Evaluation Guidance: Screening Prioritization and Implementation Details (SPID) for
the Resolution of Fukushima Near-Term Task Force Recommendation 2.1: Seismic,,,2 with
proposed interim actions, as detailed in the EPRI Guidance. The SPID guidance was the
product of significant interaction between the NRC, NEI, EPRI, and other stakeholders at
numerous public meetings to support licensee responses to Enclosure 1 ofthe March 12, 2012,
information requese that was issued by the NRC pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) 50.54(f) (the 50.54(f) letter). As with the SPID guidance, the NRC, NEI,
EPRI, and other stakeholders have interacted in several public meetings since November 2012
to discuss the EPRI Guidance document.
The staff has determined that the EPRI Guidance will provide an important demonstration of
seismic margin and expedite plant safety enhancements through evaluations and potential
near-term modifications of certain core and containment cooling equipment while more
comprehensive plant seismic risk evaluations are being performed. The NRC staff has also
determined that the schedule modifications provided in the NEI's April 9, 2013, letter are

Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML131 01A379.

The SPID guidance document is found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML 12333A 170. The staff endorsement letter for

the SPID guidance is found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML12319A074.

The SO.S4(f) letter is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML120S3A340.

J. Pollock

-2­

acceptable since the schedule accounts for seismic resource limitations, EPRI's completion of
the update to the GMM for the CEUS, and implementation of the EPRI Guidance evaluations
and modifications.
Ground Motion Model
The SO.S4(f) letter requested that those licensees whose plants are located in the CEUS use
NUREG-211S, "Central and Eastern United States Seismic Source Characterization for Nuclear
Facilities," and the appropriate EPRI (2004, 2006) GMM to characterize the seismic hazard for
their sites. 4 Subsequent to the issuance of the SO.S4(f) letter, industry informed the staff that it
had undertaken a study and determined that the EPRI (2004, 2006) GMM should be updated. 5
In order to facilitate its eventual review of the updated EPRI GMM, the staff has interacted with
NEI, EPRI, and other stakeholders in public meetings on industry's efforts to update the EPRI
GMM.
By letter dated January 31, 2013,6 NEI transmitted the EPRI draft document, "Draft - EPRI
(2004, 2006) Ground-Motion Model (GMM) Review Project" to the NRC, requesting review and
approval by February 27,2013. For the update of its earlier GMM, EPRI used a significant
amount of additional data, conducted field investigations, and used more recent methods than
were previously available. In performing the GMM update, EPRI has also addressed the
concerns of an independent peer review panel, which is an important part of the Senior Seismic
Hazard Analysis Committee (SSHAC) guidelines (these guidelines are discussed in NRC's
NUREG-2117, "Practical Implementation Guidelines for SSHAC Level 3 and 4 Hazard Studies").
Following a review of the NEI submittal, in a public meeting on February 28, 2013, 7 the staff
expressed concern with EPRI's treatment of uncertainty and the level of documentation in the
updated GMM. The staff formally documented these concerns by letter dated March 20, 2013. 8
Subsequently, in a public meeting on March 26, 2013,9 industry presented a revision of its
updated EPRI GMM, which demonstrated significant progress towards addressing the staff's
concerns with respect to the treatment of uncertainty. Industry also proposed a schedule,
including further interactions with NRC staff, for completing the development and documentation
of the updated EPRI GMM. In order to complete its update of the EPRI GMM and
accompanying documentation, and to allow time for the development of site seismic hazard
curves, industry proposed a six month delay from the schedule outlined in the SO.S4(f) letter for
the submittal of the seismic hazard reevaluations for CEUS plants.
The staff agrees that updated models, methods, and data will provide licensees with the most
current information in order to perform the seismic hazard evaluations requested by the SO.S4(f)
letter. The NRC staff intends to complete its review of the industry's updated CEUS GMM by

Licensees whose sites are located in the western United States (WUS) were asked to develop a probabilistic seismic

hazard analysis consistent with the process used for new reactor licensing under 10 CFR Part 52, "Licenses,

Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants."

By letter dated August 24, 2012, at ADAMS Accession No. ML 12240A034, the industry notified staff of its intent to

proceed with Phase 2 of the GMM update project.

The letter can be found in ADAMS at Accession No. ML13059A090.

The meeting summary and presentation materials can be found in the package in ADAMS at Accession No.

Ml13106A158.

The letter can be found in ADAMS at Accession No. Ml13078A029.

The meeting summary and presentation material can be found in the package in ADAMS at Accession No.

Ml13081A304.

J. Pollock

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August 30, 2013, if the industry submits the completed documentation of the updated model by
June 30, 2013. If the staff is unable to approve the updated EPRI GMM by August 30, 2013,
industry is expected to use the staff-approved EPRI (2004, 2006) GMM for the CEUS plant
reevaluations.
EPRI Guidance
The EPRI Guidance document provides licensees with additional guidance on the performance
of an Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process. The Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process is a
screening, evaluation, and equipment modification process to be conducted by licensees to
provide additional seismic margin and expedite plant safety enhancements for certain core and
containment cooling components while more detailed and comprehensive plant seismic risk
evaluations are being performed.
The Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process focuses on the equipment needed to maintain or
restore reactor and containment cooling during the initial phase of a severe external event
causing an extended loss of all alternating current power as identified in Order EA-12-049,
"Order Modifying Licenses with Regard to Requirements for Mitigation Strategies for Beyond­
Design-Basis External Events.,,1o In response to the Order, NEI developed NEI12-06, "Diverse
and Flexible Coping Strategies (FLEX) Implementation Guide.,,11 The Expedited Seismic
Evaluation Process identifies a subset of FLEX Phase 1 equipment for evaluation and potential
modification. This subset of FLEX equipment is installed core and containment cooling
equipment and connection points needed during an extended station blackout event.
In particular, the guidance describes a methodology for the evaluation of the seismic capacity of
the equipment identified in the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process. If the seismic capacity of
the equipment is inadequate relative to the reevaluated seismic demand, then the guidance
provides equipment modification criteria. These modifications will provide additional assurance
regarding maintenance of core and containment cooling during beyond-design-basis seismic
events. In accordance with the guidance, licensees will submit the results of the evaluations,
including required equipment modifications and their implementation schedule, in an Expedited
Seismic Evaluation Process report for review by the NRC staff. The letter states that CEUS
licensees will submit the reports resulting from the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process by
December 2014 and complete non-outage-related Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process
equipment modifications by December 2016. Similarly, the letter states that the western United
States (WUS) licensees will submit Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process reports by January
2016 and complete non-outage-related Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process equipment
modifications by June 2018.
After review of industry's proposed EPRI Guidance, the NRC staff believes that the evaluations
and potential near-term equipment modifications associated with the Expedited Seismic
Evaluation Process will provide an important demonstration of seismic margin and enhance
plant safety while more detailed plant risk evaluations are being conducted by licensees. The

10
11

The Order is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML 12054A736.
The guidance is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML12242A378.

J. Pollock

-4­

staff further concludes that the EPRI Guidance provides an appropriate methodology for
licensees to implement and complete the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process according to
the schedule provided in the letter.
In accordance with the 50.54(f) letter, each licensee is to submit to the NRC its intention to
follow the NRC-endorsed seismic reevaluation guidance (or SPID), or an alternative approach,
60 days after the issuance of the NRC-endorsed guidance. Licensees may use the EPRI
Guidance, in addition to the SPID guidance, as an acceptable approach for responding to the
information requested in Enclosure 1 of the 50.54(f) letter. Accordingly, the NRC staffs
issuance of this letter endorsing the EPRI Guidance is not considered backfitting, as defined in
10 CFR 50.109(a)(1).
The NRC requests that EPRI publish a final version of the EPRI Guidance within one month of
receipt of this letter. The final version of the EPRI Guidance should incorporate this letter
between the title page and the first section, and EPRI should remove the draft markings from
the document.
Schedule Modification
As discussed above, the nuclear power industry has proposed two adjustments to the seismic
hazard reevaluations at nuclear power plant sites: 1) to complete the update of the EPRI GMM
for the CEUS, and 2) to implement the EPRI Guidance. These proposed changes affect the
schedule outlined in the 50.54(f) letter.
First, the industry has requested additional time to complete the updated EPRI GMM project,
including documentation and interactions with the NRC staff. The project documentation is
scheduled to be submitted to the NRC on June 3, 2013. Pending approval by the staff, CEUS
licensees will use the updated model to complete the site-specific seismic hazard evaluations
specified in Enclosure 1 to the SPID guidance. Currently, the hazard submittals are requested
by September 2013; however, the industry has requested to submit the hazard evaluations by
March 31, 2014. The industry stated in its letter that it will not delay submittal of items 3.a.
"Description of Subsurface Materials and Properties," and 3.b. "Development of Base Case
Profiles and Nonlinear Material Properties" of Section 4 of Enclosure 1 to the SPID guidance.
Licensees intend to submit these items in September 2013 for the staff's review. This will allow
the staff to begin its review in accordance with the original schedule and complete a significant
portion of the Section 4 review on time.
The staff finds that the schedule modifications discussed above for CEUS plants are acceptable
because the updated GMM will provide the CEUS operating nuclear plant fleet with a model
developed using the most recent data and methodologies available for their seismic hazard
reevaluations. Additionally, the partial submittal in September 2013 will allow the staff to
complete a portion of its review as originally scheduled by the 50.54(f) letter.
Second, the industry has requested modifications to the 50.54(f) letter schedule to allow for
implementation of the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process for those nuclear power plants
where the reevaluated seismic hazard exceeds the plant's design basis. These schedule
modifications allow for completion of the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process for CEUS plants

J. Pollock

- 5­

by December 2016, if the equipment modifications do not require a plant shutdown to access
equipment. 12 For WUS plants, the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process modifications will be
completed by June 2018, if the modifications do not require a plant shutdown to access
equipment.
For plants requiring a seismic risk analysis, the 50.54(f) letter states that the staff will perform a
prioritization for both the CEUS and WUS plants into two priority groups, and possibly a third, if
needed. Under industry's proposed schedule, the higher priority CEUS plants will complete
their risk evaluations by June 2017 (originally scheduled for October 2016). This delay is
primarily due to the additional time needed to complete the EPRI GMM update project. The
second group of CEUS plants will complete their risk evaluations by December 2019. This is
about a two-year delay from the schedule specified in the 50.54(f) letter for the lower priority
plants to complete their risk evaluations. Conversely, the letter proposes an earlier completion
date of June 2017 for the risk evaluations for the higher priority WUS plants.
The staff finds that the schedule modifications discussed above for CEUS and WUS plants are
acceptable, because the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process provides for near-term seismic
evaluations and expedited equipment modifications at the plants that will offer additional
assurance that plants will operate safely during a beyond-design-basis seismic event.
Furthermore, the schedule modifications account for limited seismic resources available to both
the NRC and the industry. The schedule modifications provide for completion of the higher
priority CEUS plant risk evaluations by the end of June 2017, which is not a significant
extension of the original 50. 54(f) letter schedule of October 2016. In addition, the schedule
proposes an earlier completion date for the higher priority risk evaluations for the WUS plants.
The industry noted in its letter that if a large number of plants need to perform the risk
evaluations, additional time may be needed which may extend the completion of some risk
evaluations for a third tier of lower priority plants until December 2020. The NRC staff finds that
the additional time to complete these lower priority plant risk evaluations is acceptable because
limited seismic resources will likely impact the number of risk evaluations that can be completed
by 2019.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the staff has determined that the proposed EPRI Guidance and the schedule
modifications described in the NEl's April 9, 2013, letter are acceptable since they provide for
implementation of the expedited interim actions and near-term plant safety enhancements, as
well as EPRl's completion of the update to the GMM for the CEUS. The industry proposal also
provides a reasonable approach and schedule which accounts for the considerable seismic
resources needed to complete the seismic reevaluations.

12

If outages are required, the plants are allowed two outages from the completion of the Expedited Seismic Evaluation
Process report. which are to be submitted to the NRC staff for review by December 31,2014.

J. Pollock

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If you or your staff have additional questions, please contact my office; alternatively, you can
contact Mrs. Lisa Regner of my staff by phone at 301-415-1906, or bye-mail at
Lisa. [email protected].
Sincerely,

:::LE

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

Federal Register Notice

cc: See enclosed list
Listserv

POWER REACTOR LICENSEES AND HOLDERS OF

CONSTRUCTION PERMITS IN ACTIVE OR DEFERRED STATUS

Arkansas Nuclear One
Entergy Operations, Inc.
Docket Nos. 50-313 and 50-368
License Nos. DPR-51 and NPF-6

Braidwood Station
Exelon Generation Co., LLC
Docket Nos. STN 50-456 and STN 50-457
License Nos. NPF-72 and NPF-77

Mr. Jeremy Browning
Site Vice President
Entergy Operations, Inc.
Arkansas Nuclear One
1448 S.R 333
Russellville, AR 72802

Mr. Michael J. Pacillio
Senior Vice President
Exelon Generation Company, LLC
President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)
Exelon Nuclear
4300 Winfield Road
Warrenville, IL 60555

Beaver Valley Power Station
First Energy Nuclear Operating Co.
Docket Nos. 50-334 and 50-412
License Nos. DPR-66 and NPF-73
Mr. Eric A. Larson
Beaver Valley Power Station
P.O. Box 4, Route 168
Shippingport, PA 15077
Bellefonte Nuclear Power Station
Tennessee Valley Authority
Docket Nos. 50-438 and 50-439
Construction Permit Nos. CPPR-122 and
CPPR-123
Mr. Michael D. Skaggs
Senior Vice President, Nuclear Construction
Tennessee Valley Authority
6A Lookout Place
1101 Market Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
Tennessee Valley Authority
Docket Nos. 50-259, 50-260 and 50-296
License Nos. DPR-33, DPR-52 and DPR-68
Mr. Joseph W. Shea
Vice President, Nuclear licenSing
Tennessee Valley Authority
1101 Market Street, EB 9W
Chattanooga, TN 37402·2801
Brunswick Steam Electric Plant
Carolina Power & Light Co.
Docket Nos. 50-325 and 50-324
License Nos. DPR-71 and DPR-62
Mr. Michael J. Annacone
Vice President
Carolina Power & Light Company
Brunswick Steam Electric Plant
P.O. Box 10429
Southport, NC 28461

-2Byron Station

Exelon Generation Co., LLC

Docket Nos. STN 50-454 and STN 50-455

License Nos. NPF-37 and NPF-66

Catawba Nuclear Station

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC

Docket Nos. 50-413 and 50-414

License Nos. NPF-35 and NPF-52

Mr. Michael J. Pacillio

Senior Vice President

Exelon Generation Company, LLC

President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)

Exelon Nuclear

4300 Winfield Road

Warrenville, IL 60555

Mr. Kelvin Henderson

Site Vice President

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC

Catawba Nuclear Station

4800 Concord Road

York, SC 29745

Callaway Plant

Union Electric Company

Docket No. 50-483

License No. NPF-30

Mr. Adam C. Heflin
Senior Vice President and
Chief Nuclear Officer
Union Electric Company
Ameren Missouri
P.O. Box 620

Fulton, MO 65251

Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC

Docket Nos. 50-317 and 50-318

License Nos. DPR-53 and DPR-69

Mr. George H. Gellrich

Vice President

Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, LLC

Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

1650 Calvert Cliffs Parkway

Lusby, MD 20657-4702

Clinton Power Station

Exelon Generation Co., LLC

Docket No. 50-461

License No. NPF-62

Mr. Michael J. Pacilio

President and Chief Nuclear Officer

Exelon Nuclear

Clinton Power Station

4300 Winfield Road

Warrenville, IL 60555

Columbia Generating Station

Energy Northwest

Docket No. 50-397

License No. NPF-21

Mr. Mark E. Reddemann

Chief Executive Officer

Energy Northwest

MD 1023

North Power Plant Loop

P.O. Box 968

Richland, WA 99352

- 3­
Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant
Luminant Generation Co., LLC
Docket Nos. 50-445 and 50-446
License Nos. NPF-87 and NPF-89

Diablo Canyon Power Plant
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Docket Nos. 50-275 and 50-323
License Nos. DPR-80 and DPR-82

Mr. Rafael Flores
Senior Vice President and
Chief Nuclear Officer
Attn: Regulatory Affairs
Luminant Generation Company, LLC
P.O. Box 1002
Glen Rose, TX 76043

Mr. Edward D. Halpin
Senior Vice President and
Chief Nuclear Officer
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
P.O. Box 56,
Mail Code 104/6
Avila Beach, CA 93424

Cooper Nuclear Station
Nebraska Public Power District
Docket No. 50-298
License No. DPR-46

Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant
Indiana Michigan Power Company
Docket Nos. 50-315 and 50-316
License Nos. DPR-58 and DPR-74

Mr. Oscar A. Limpias
Vice President Nuclear and
Chief Nuclear Officer
Nebraska Public Power District
72676 648A Avenue
P.O. Box 98
Brownville, NE 68321

Mr. Lawrence J. Weber
Senior Vice President and
Chief Nuclear Officer
Indiana Michigan Power Company
Nuclear Generation Group
One Cook Place
Bridgman, MI49106

Crystal River Nuclear Generating Plant
Florida Power Corp.
Docket No. 50-302
License No. DPR-72

Dresden Nuclear Power Station
Exelon Generation Co., LLC
Docket Nos. 50-237 and 50-249
License Nos. DPR-19 and DPR-25

Terry Hobbs
Decommissioning Director
Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA2C)
15760 West Power Line Street
Crystal River, FL 34428-6708

Mr. Michael J. Pacillio
Senior Vice President
Exelon Generation Company, LLC
President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)
Exelon Nuclear
4300 Winfield Road
Warrenville, IL 60555

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station
First Energy Nuclear Operating Co.
Docket No. 50-346
License No. NPF-3
Mr. Ray Lieb
Site Vice President
FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company
c/o Davis-Besse NPS
5501 N. State Route 2
Oak Harbor, OH 43449-9760

- 4­
Duane Arnold Energy Center

NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC

Docket No. 50-331

License No. DPR-49

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station

Entergy Operations, Inc.

Docket No. 50-416

License No. NPF-29

Mr. Rich Anderson

Site Vice President

NextEra Energy

Duane Arnold Energy Center

3277 DAEC Road

Palo, IA 52324-9785

Vice President, Operations
Entergy Operations, Inc.
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station
P.O. Box 756

Port Gibson, MS 39150

Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant

Southern Nuclear Operating Co.

Docket Nos. 50-321 and 50-366

License Nos. DPR-57 and NPF-5

H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant

Carolina Power & Light Co.

Docket No. 50-261

License No. DPR-23

Mr. C.R. Pierce
Regulatory Affairs Director
Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 1295/BI N B038

Birmingham, AL 35201-1295

Mr. William R. Gideon
Vice President
H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant
Carolina Power & Light Company
3581 West Entrance Road

Hartsville, SC 29550

Fermi

Detroit Edison Co.

Docket No. 50-341

License No. NPF-43

Hope Creek Generating Station

PSEG Nuclear, LLC

Docket No. 50-354

License No. NPF-57

Mr. Joseph H. Plona

Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear

Officer

Detroit Edison Company

Fermi 2 - 210 NOC

6400 North Dixie Highway

Newport, M I 48166

Mr. Thomas Joyce
President and Chief Nuclear Officer
PSEG Nuclear LLC - N09
P. O. Box 236,

Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038

Fort Calhoun Station

Omaha Public Power District

Docket No. 50-285

License No. DPR-40

Mr. Louis CortopaSSi

Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer

Omaha Public Power District

Fort Calhoun Station

Mail Stop FC-2-4

9610 Power Lane

Blair, NE 68008

Indian Point Energy Center

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Docket Nos. 50-247 and 50-286

License Nos. DPR-26 and DPR-64

Vice President, Operations
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
Indian Point Energy Center
450 Broadway, GSB
P.O. Box 249

Buchanan, NY 10511-0249

- 5­
James A FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Docket No. 50-333

License No. DPR-59

Limerick Generating Station

Exelon Generation Co., LLC

Docket Nos. 50-352 and 50-353

License Nos. NPF-39 and NPF-85

Site Vice President
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
James A FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant
P.O. Box 110

Lycoming, NY 13093

Mr. Michael J. Pacillio

Senior Vice President

Exelon Generation Company, LLC

President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)

Exelon Nuclear

4300 Winfield Road

Warrenville, IL 60555

Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant

Southern Nuclear Operating Co.

Docket Nos. 50-348 and 50-364

License Nos. NPF-2 and NPF-8

Mr. C. R Pierce
Regulatory Affairs Director
Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 1295/Bin 038

Birmingham, AL 35201-1295

Kewaunee Power Station

Dominion Energy Kewaunee, Inc.

Docket No. 50-305

License No. DPR-43

Mr. David A Heacock

President and Chief Nuclear Officer

Dominion Energy Kewaunee, Inc.

Innsbrook Technical Center

5000 Dominion Boulevard

Glen Allen, VA 23060-6711

LaSalle County Station

Exelon Generation Co., LLC

Docket Nos. 50-373 and 50-374

License Nos. NPF-11 and NPF-18

Mr. Michael J. Pacillio

Senior Vice President

Exelon Generation Company, LLC

President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)

Exelon Nuclear

4300 Winfield Road

Warrenville, IL 60555

Millstone Nuclear Power Station

Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.

Docket Nos. 50-336 and 50-423

License Nos. DPR-65 and NPF-49

Mr. David A Heacock

President and Chief Nuclear Officer

Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.

Innsbrook Technical Center

5000 Dominion Boulevard

Glen Allen, VA 23060-6711

Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant

Northern States Power Company

Docket No. 50-263

License No. DPR-22

Mr. Mark A Schimmel

Site Vice President

Northern States Power Company - Minnesota

Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant

2807 West County Road 75

Monticello, MN 55362-9637

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC

Docket Nos. 50-220 and 50-410

License Nos. DPR-63 and I\IPF-69

Mr. Christopher Costanzo

Vice President Nine Mile Point

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC

P.O. Box 63

Lycoming, NY 13093

- 6­
North Anna Power Station

Virginia Electric & Power Co.

Docket Nos. 50-338 and 50-339

License Nos. NPF-4 and NPF-7

Mr. David A. Heacock

President and Chief Nuclear Officer

Dominion Nuclear

Innsbrook Technical Center

5000 Dominion Boulevard

Glen Allen, VA 23060-6711

Oconee Nuclear Station

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC

Docket Nos. 50-269, 50-270 and 50-287

License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47 and DPR-55

Mr. Scott Batson

Vice President, Oconee Nuclear Station

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC

7800 Rochester Highway

Seneca, SC 29672

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station

Exelon Generation Co., LLC

Docket No. 50-219

License No. DPR-16

Mr. Michael J. Pacillio

Senior Vice President

Exelon Generation Company, LLC

President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)

Exelon Nuclear

4300 Winfield Road

Warrenville, IL 60555

Palisades Nuclear Plant

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Docket No. 50-255

License No. DPR-20

Vice President, Operations

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Palisades Nuclear Plant

27780 Blue Star Memorial Highway

Covert, MI 49043

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station

Arizona Public Service Company

Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529 and

STN 50-530

License Nos. NPF-41, NPF-51 and NPF-74

Mr. Randall K. Edington
Executive Vice President Nuclear and Chief
Nuclear Officer
Arizona Public Service Co.
P.O. Box 52034, MS 7602

Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station

Exelon Generation Co., LLC

Docket Nos. 50-277 and 50-278

License Nos. DPR-44 and DPR-56

Mr. Michael J. Pacillio

Senior Vice President

Exelon Generation Company, LLC

President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)

Exelon Nuclear

4300 Winfield Road

Warrenville, IL 60555

Perry Nuclear Power Plant

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co.

Docket No. 50-440

License No. NPF-58

Mr. Vito A. Kaminskas

Site Vice President - Nuclear - Perry

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company

Perry Nuclear Power Plant

10 Center Road, A290

Perry, OH 44081

-7­
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Unit No.1

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Docket No. 50-293

License No. DPR-35

R E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

RE. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC

Docket No. 50-244

License No. DPR-18

Mr. John Dent, Jr.

Vice President and Site Vice President

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

600 Rocky Hill Road

Plymouth, MA 02360-5508

Mr. Joseph E. Pacher

Vice President

RE. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC

RE. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

1503 Lake Road

Ontario, NY 14519

Point Beach Nuclear Plant

NextEra Energy Point Beach, LLC

Docket Nos. 50-266 and 50-301

License Nos. DPR-24 and DPR-27

River Bend Station

Entergy Operations, Inc.

Docket No. 50-458

License No. NPF-47

Mr. Larry Meyer

Site Vice President

NextEra Energy Point Beach, LLC

Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 & 2

6610 Nuclear Road

Two Rivers, WI 54241-9516

Vice President, Operations

Entergy Operations, Inc.

River Bend Station

5485 U.S. Highway 61 N

St. Francisville, LA 70775

Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant

Northern States Power Co. Minnesota

Docket Nos. 50-282 and 50-306

License Nos. DPR-42 and DPR-60

Salem Nuclear Generating Station

PSEG Nuclear, LLC.

Docket Nos. 50-272 & 50-311

License Nos. DPR-70 and DPR-75

Mr. Thomas Joyce
President and Chief Nuclear Officer
Mr. James E. Lynch

Site Vice President

PSEG Nuclear LLC - N09
Northern States Power Company - Minnesota
P.O. Box 236,

Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038

Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant

1717 Wakonade Drive East

Welch, MN 55089-9642

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Southern California Edison Company

Docket Nos. 50-361 and 50-362

Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station

License Nos. NFP-10 and NFP-15

Exelon Generation Co., LLC

Docket Nos. 50-254 and 50-265

License Nos. DPR-29 and DPR-30

Mr. Peter T. Dietrich
Senior Vice President and
Chief Nuclear Officer
Mr. Michael J. Paciliio

Southern California Edison Company
Senior Vice President

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station
Exelon Generation Company, LLC

P.O. Box 128

President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)

San Clemente, CA 92674-0128

Exelon Nuclear

4300 Winfield Road

Warrenville, IL 60555

-8Seabrook Nuclear Plant
NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC
Docket No 50-443
License No. NFP-86

St. Lucie Plant
Florida Power & Light Co.
Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389
License Nos. DPR-67 and NPF-16

Mr. Kevin Walsh
Vice President, Seabrook Nuclear Plant
clo Mr. Michael O'Keefe
NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC
P.O. Box 300
Seabrook, NH 03874

Mr. Mano Nazar

Executive Vice President and

Chief Nuclear Officer

NextEra Energy

P.O. Box 14000

700 Universe Boulevard

Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420

Sequoyah Nuclear Plant
Tennessee Valley Authority
Docket Nos. 50-327 and 50-328
License Nos. DPR-77 and DPR-79
Mr. Joseph W. Shea
Vice President, Nuclear Licensing
Tennessee Valley Authority
1101 Market Street, LP 3D-C
Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801
Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant
Carolina Power & Light Co.
Docket No. 50-400
License No. NPF-63
Mr. George T. Hamrick
Vice President
Carolina Power and Light Company
Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant
P.O. Box 165, Mail Zone 1
New Hill, NC 27562-0165
South Texas Project
STP Nuclear Operating Co.
Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499
License Nos. NPF-76 and NPF-80
Mr. Dennis L. Koehl
President and CEO/CNO
STP Nuclear Operating Company
South Texas Project Electric Generating
Station
P.O. Box 289
Wadsworth, TX 77483

Surry Power Station
Virginia Electric & Power Co.
Docket Nos. 50-280 and 50-281
License Nos. DPR-32 and DPR-37
Mr. David A. Heacock
President and Chief Nuclear Officer
Dominion Nuclear
Virginia Electric & Power Company
Innsbrook Technical Center
5000 Dominion Boulevard
Glen Allen, VA 23060-6711
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station
PPL Susquehanna, LLC
Docket Nos. 50-387 and 50-388
License Nos. NPF-14 and NPF-22
Mr. Timothy S. Rausch

Senior Vice President and

Chief Nuclear Officer

PPL Susquehanna, LLC

769 Salem Boulevard

NUCSB3

Berwick, PA 18603-0467

- 9­
Three Mile Island, Unit 1

Exelon Nuclear

Docket No. 50-289

License No. DPR-50

Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

Southern Nuclear Operating Co.

Docket Nos. 50-424 and 50-425

License Nos. NPF-68 and NPF-81

Mr. Michael J. Pacillio

Senior Vice President

Exelon Generation Company, LLC

President and Chief Nuclear Office (CNO)

Exelon Nuclear

4300 Winfield Road

Warrenville, IL 60555

Mr. C.R. Pierce
Regulatory Affairs Director
Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 1295/Bin 038

Birmingham, AL 35201

Turkey Point

Florida Power & Light Co.

Docket Nos. 50-250 and 50-251

License Nos. DPR-31 and DPR-41

Mr. Mano Nazar
Executive Vice President and
Chief Nuclear Officer
NextEra Energy
P.O. Box 14000

700 Universe Boulevard

Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Docket No. 50-271

License No. DPR-28

Site Vice President, Operations
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station
P.O. Box 250, Governor Hunt Road
Vernon, VT 05354
Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station

South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.

Docket No. 50-395

License No. NPF-12

Mr. Thomas D. Gatlin

Vice President Nuclear Operations

South Carolina Electric & Gas Company

Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station

Post Office Box 88, Mail Code 800

Jenkinsville, SC 29065

Waterford Steam Electric Station

Entergy Operations, Inc.

Docket No. 50-382

License No. NPF-38

Vice President, Operations

Entergy Operations, Inc.

Waterford Steam Electric Station, Unit 3

17265 River Road

Killona, LA 70057-0751

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1

Tennessee Valley Authority

Docket No. 50-390

License No. NPF-90

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2

Tennessee Valley Authority

Docket No. 50-391

Construction Permit No. CPPR No. 092

Mr. Joseph W. Shea

Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice

President

Tennessee Valley Authority

1101 Market Street

Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

- 10 ­
William B. McGuire Nuclear Station
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
Docket Nos. 50-369 and 50-370
License Nos. NPF-9 and NPF-17
Mr. Steven D. Capps
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
McGuire Nuclear Station
12700 Hagers Ferry Road
Huntersville, NC 28078-8985
Wolf Creek Generating Station
Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp.
Docket No. 50-482
License No. NPF-42
Mr. Matthew W. Sunseri
President and Chief Executive Officer
Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation
P.O. Box 411
Burlington, KS 66839

[7590-01-P]

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2013-0038]

Electric Power Research Institute; Seismic Evaluation Guidance

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Endorsement letter; issuance.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an endorsement letter

of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Report, "Seismic Evaluation Guidance: EPRI
Guidance for the Resolution of Fukushima Near-Term Task Force Recommendation 2.1:
Seismic," Draft Report, hereafter referred to as the EPRI Guidance. This EPRI Guidance
provides additional information, to be used in combination with the staff-endorsed Screening
Prioritization and Implementation Details (SPID) report 1 , on an acceptable strategy to implement
interim actions in accordance with item (6) of the Requested Information in Enclosure 1
"Recommendation 2.1: Seismic," of the NRC staff's request for information (SO.S4(f) letter),
"Request for Information Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part
SO.S4(f) Regarding Recommendations 2.1, 2.3, and 9.3, of the Near-Term Task Force Review

of InSights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident," dated March 12, 2012. In addition, in its
April 9, 2013 letter, the Nuclear Energy Institute (!\lEI) requested modifications to the schedule

The SPID report is available in the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System

(ADAMS) under Accession No. ML 12333A170. The staff endorsement letter for the SPID report is available

in ADAMS under Accession No. ML 12319A074.

The NElletter, with attachments, is available in ADAMS in a package with Accession No. ML 13101A345.

established in the staffs 50.54(f) letter. The NRC staff has found the schedule modifications to
be acceptable since they account for completion of the EPRI central and eastern United States
(CEUS) ground motion model (GMM) update, completion of potential interim actions provided in
the EPRI Guidance, and limited available seismic resources.

ADDRESSES: You may access information related to this document, which the NRC
possesses and is publicly available, by searching on http://wwwregu/ations.gov under Docket
ID NRC-2013-0038.
•

Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://wwwregu/ations.gov and search for

Docket ID NRC-2013-0038. Address questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher;
telephone: 301-492-3668; e-mail: [email protected].
•

NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS):

You may access publicly-available documents online in the NRC Library at
http://wwwnrc.aov/readina-rmladams.f7tm/. To begin the search, select "ADAMS Public
Documents" and then select "Begin Web-based ADAMS Search." For problems with ADAMS,
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209,
301-415-4737, or bye-mail to [email protected]. The NRC staffs endorsement letter of
the EPRI Guidance is available under ADAMS Accession No. ML 13106A331. The NRC staff's
request for information dated March 12,2012, is available under ADAMS Accession
No. ML 12053A340.
•

NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public documents at the

NRC's PDR, Room 01-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland
20852.

-2­

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms, Lisa M. Regner, Japan Lessons-Learned

Project Directorate, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1906; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background Information

Pursuant to 10 CFR Part 50,54(f), the NRC issued a 50.54(f) letter dated
March 12, 2012, regarding Recommendations 2.1, 2.3, and 9.3, of the Near-Term Task Force
(NTTF) Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident. 3 The NRC issued the 50.54(f)
letter following the staff's evaluation of the earthquake and tsunami, and resulting nuclear
accident, at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in March 2011. Enclosure 1 to the
50.54(f) letter requests licensees and holders of construction permits under 10 CFR Part 50,
"Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities," to reevaluate the seismic hazards
at their sites using present-day NRC requirements and guidance, and to identify actions taken
or planned to address plant-specific vulnerabilities associated with the updated seismic hazards.
Based on this information, the NRC staff will determine if additional regulatory actions are
necessary to protect against the updated hazards.
By letter dated February 15, 2013, the NRC staff issued an endorsement letter, with
clarifications, of EPRI-1025287, "Seismic Evaluation Guidance: Screening, Prioritization, and
Implementation Details (SPID) for the Resolution of Fukushima Near-Term Task Force
Recommendation 2.1: Seismic," referred to as the SPID report. This SPID report describes

The NTTF Report is available under ADAMS Accession No. ML111861807, The SO.S4(f) letter is available
under ADAMS Accession No, ML12053A340,

- 3­

strategies for the screening, prioritization, and implementation of seismic risk evaluations that
are acceptable to the NRC staff, and will assist nuclear power reactor licensees when
responding to Enclosure 1 of the SO.S4(f) letter.
By letter dated April 9, 2013, the NEI submitted additional guidance to be used to
supplement the SPID report for NRC endorsement. The letter also documented the industry's
proposed plan to update the GMM for CELIS plants, and proposed modifications to the schedule
for plant seismic reevaluations established in the SO.54(f) letter. The NEI letter, the EPRI
Guidance, and additional attachments addressing proposed schedule changes are available in
ADAMS under package Accession No. ML 13101 A34S.

II. Ground Motion Model

The SO.S4(f) letter requested that the licensees whose plants are located in the CELIS
use NUREG-211S, "Central and Eastern Llnited States [CELIS} Seismic Source Characterization
for Nuclear Facilities" and the appropriate EPRI (2004, 2006) GMM to characterize the seismic
hazard for their sites. The industry is currently completing a study to update the EPRI (2004,
2006) GMM based on current data and new ground motion prediction equations developed by
seismic experts.
The NRC staff has interacted with NEI, EPRI, and other stakeholders in public meetings
since November 2012, for status updates on industry's efforts to update the CELIS GMM. By
letter dated January 31, 2013, the NEI transmitted the EPRI draft document, "Draft - EPRI
(2004, 2006) Ground Motion Model (GMM) Review Project" to the NRC, requesting review and
approval by February 27, 2013. For the update of its earlier GMM, EPRI used a significant
amount of additional data, conducted field investigations, and used more recent methods than
were previously available. In performing the GMM update, EPRI has also addressed the
-4­

concerns of an independent peer review panel, which is an important part of the Senior Seismic
Hazard Analysis Committee (SSHAC) guidelines (these guidelines are discussed in NRC's
NUREG 2117, "Practical Implementation Guidelines for SSHAC Level 3 and 4 Hazard Studies").
Following a review of the NEI submittal, in a public meeting on February 28, 2013, the staff
expressed concern with EPRI's treatment of uncertainty and the level of documentation in the
proposed updated GMM. The staff formally documented these concerns by letter dated
March 20, 2013.
Subsequently, in a public meeting on March 26, 2013, industry presented a revision of
its updated EPRI GMM, which demonstrated significant progress toward addressing the staff's
concerns with respect to the treatment of uncertainty. Industry also proposed a schedule,
including further interactions with NRC staff, for completing the development and documentation
of the updated EPRI GMM. In order to complete its update of the EPRI GMM and
accompanying documentation, and to allow time for the development of site-specific seismic
hazard curves, industry proposed a 6 month delay from the schedule outlined in the 50.54(f)
letter for the submittal of the seismic hazard reevaluations for CEUS plants.
The staff agrees that updated models, methods, and data will provide licensees with the
most current information in order to perform the seismic hazard evaluations requested by the
50.54(f) letter.

III. EPRI Guidance

The EPRI Guidance document provides licensees with information on the performance
of an Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process. The Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process is a
screening, evaluation, and equipment modification process to be conducted by licensees to

-5­

provide additional seismic margin and expedite plant safety enhancements while more detailed
and comprehensive plant seismic risk evaluations are being performed.
The Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process evaluations would be conducted on plants
with a new seismic hazard that exceeds their current seismic design basis, and necessary
modifications would be made to certain core and containment cooling components used during
the initial plant coping time following a severe external event. The letter states that CEUS
licensees will complete non-outage-related Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process equipment
modifications by December 2016. Western United States (WUS) licensees will complete nonoutage-related Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process equipment modifications by June 2018.
After review of industry's proposed EPRI Guidance, the NRC staff believes that the
evaluations and potential near-term equipment modifications associated with the Expedited
Seismic Evaluation Process will provide an important demonstration of seismic margin and
enhance plant safety while more detailed plant risk evaluations are being conducted by
licensees. The staff further concludes that the seismic evaluation guidance for the EPRI
Guidance provides an appropriate methodology for licensees to implement and complete the
Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process according to the schedule provided in the letter.

IV. Schedule Modifications

The NEI has proposed two adjustments to the seismic hazard reevaluations at nuclear
power plant sites: (1) to complete the update of the EPRI GMM for the CEUS, and (2) to
implement the EPRI Guidance. These proposed changes affect the schedule outlined in the
50.54(f) letter.
First, the industry has requested additional time to complete the updated EPRI GMM
project, including documentation and interactions with the NRC staff. The project
- 6­

documentation is scheduled to be submitted to the NRC on June 3, 2013. Pending approval by
the staff, the CEUS licensees will use the updated model to complete the site-specific seismic
hazard reevaluations specified in Enclosure 1 to the SPID guidance. Currently, the hazard
submittals are requested by September 2013; however, industry has requested to submit the
hazard evaluations by March 31,2014. The industry stated in its letter that it will not delay
submittal of items 3.a. "Description of Subsurface Materials and Properties," and 3.b.
"Development of Base Case Profiles and Nonlinear Material Properties" of Section 4 of
Enclosure 1 to the SPI D guidance. Licensees intend to submit these items in September 2013
for the staff's review. This will allow the staff to begin its review in accordance with the original
schedule and complete a significant portion of the Section 4 review on time.
The staff finds that the schedule modifications discussed above for CEUS plants are
acceptable because the updated GMM will provide the CEUS operating nuclear plant fleet with
a model developed using the most recent data and methodologies available for their seismic
hazard reevaluations. Additionally, the partial submittal in September 2013 will allow the staff to
complete a portion of its CEUS review as originally scheduled by the 50.54(f) letter.
Second, the industry has requested modifications to the 50.54(f) letter schedule to allow
for implementation of the EPRI Guidance interim actions for those nuclear power plants where
the reevaluated seismic hazard exceeds the plant's design basis. These schedule modifications
allow for completion of Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process for CEUS plants by
December 2016, if the modifications do not require a plant shutdown to access equipment. For
WUS plants, the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process modifications will be completed by
June 2018, if the modifications do not require a plant shutdown to access equipment.
For plants requiring a seismic risk analysis (i.e., those with a reevaluated seismic hazard
that exceeds the current seismic design basis), the 50.54(f) letter states that the staff will
perform a prioritization for both the CEUS and WUS plants into two priority groups, and possibly

-7­

a third, if needed. Under industry's proposed schedule, the higher priority CEUS plants will
complete their risk evaluations by June 2017 (originally scheduled for October 2016). This
delay is primarily due to the additional time needed to complete the EPRI GMM update project.
The second group of CEUS plants will complete their risk evaluations by December 2019. This
is about a two-year delay from the schedule specified in the 50.54(f) letter for the lower priority
plants to complete their risk evaluations. Conversely, the letter proposes an earlier completion
date of June 2017 for the risk evaluations for the higher priority WUS plants.
The staff finds that the schedule modifications discussed above for CEUS and WUS
nuclear power plants are acceptable, since the Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process provides
for near-term seismic evaluations and expedited equipment modifications at the plants that will
offer additional assurance that plants will operate safely during a beyond design basis seismic
event. Furthermore, the schedule modifications account for limited seismic resources available
to both the NRC and the industry. The schedule modifications provide for completion of the
higher priority CEUS plant risk evaluations by the end of June 2017, which is not a significant
extension of the original 50.54(f) letter schedule of October 2016. In addition, the schedule
proposes an earlier completion date for the higher priority risk evaluations for the WUS plants.

V. Basis for Endorsement

The NRC staff interacted with the stakeholders on development of the EPRI Guidance
report with a focus on guidance on potential interim actions to be implemented for plants where
the reevaluated seismic hazard exceeds the current seismic design basis. The EPRI Guidance
report is the product of considerable interaction between the NRC, NEI, EPRI, and other

-8­

stakeholders at five public meetings 4 over a 5-month period. These interactions and the insights
gained from the meetings allowed for the development of this document in a very short time
frame. The meetings helped develop the expectations for how licensees would perform
potential interim actions after updating their seismic hazard information. At each meeting, the
NRC staff provided its comments on the current version of the EPRI Guidance and discussed
with stakeholders subsequent proposed revisions to the document. This iterative process, over
several months, resulted in the final version of the document. The NRC staff's endorsement of
the EPRI Guidance is based on this cumulative development process resulting from the
interactions between stakeholders and the NRC staff. This is the same process employed
successfully in the development of the SPID guidance.
The staff has determined that the EPRI Guidance will provide an important
demonstration of seismic margin and enhanced plant safety through evaluations and potential
near-term modifications of certain core and containment cooling equipment while more
comprehensive plant seismic risk evaluations are being performed. The NRC staff also has
determined that the schedule modifications provided in the NEI's April 9, 2013, letter are
acceptable because the schedule accounts for seismic resource limitations, EPRl's completion
of the update to the GMM for the CEUS, and implementation of the EPRI Guidance evaluations
and actions.

VI. 8ackfitting and Issue Finality

This endorsement letter does not constitute backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109,
"Backfitting" (the Back'fit Rule). This endorsement letter provides additional guidance on an
--------~

4

...............­

Public meetings were held on November 2 and 14 and December 13, 2012; and February 14 and March 26, 2013

- 9­

acceptable method for implementing the interim actions described in item (6) of the Requested
Information in Enclosure 1, "Recommendation 2.1: Seismic," of the 50.54(f) letter. Licensees
and construction permit holders may voluntarily use the guidance in the EPRI Guidance to
comply with the requested interim action portion of the 50.54(f) letter. Methods, analyses, or
solutions that differ from those described in the EPRI Guidance report may be deemed
acceptable if they provide sufficient basis and information for the NRC staff to verify that the
proposed alternative is acceptable.

VII. Congressional Review Act

This endorsement letter is a rule as designated in the Congressional Review Act
(5 U.S.C. 801-808). The Office of Management and Budget has found that this is a major rule in

accordance with the Congressional Review Act.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this

7~

day of

~ 2013.

For the Nuclear Regulatory cIo'mmission
7

2j

c/~~

Eric J. L~ s, Director
Office o(Nuciear Reactor Regulation

- 10­

J. Pollock

-6­

If you or your staff have additional questions, please contact my office; alternatively, you can
contact Mrs. Lisa Regner of my staff by phone at 301-415-1906, or bye-mail at
[email protected].
Sincerely,

Ira!
Eric J. Leeds, Director
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:

Federal Register Notice

cc: See enclosed list
Listserv

DISTRIBUTION:
See next page

ADAMS
OFFICE
NAME
DATE
OFFICE
NAME
DATE

Accession No.: ML 13114A949 (Pkg.); ML 13106A331 (Letter); ML 13109A594 (FRN1*via e-mail
PM: NRR/,ILD/PMB NRO/DSEA*
LA: NRRIDORL*
QTE*
DD: NRO/DSEA*
KGoldstein
CHsu
LRegner
CMunson
NChokshi

05/01/2013
D: NRRlDE*
PHiland
04/29/2013

04/24/2013
04/19/2013
BC:NRR/JLD/PMB
OGC*
MMitcheli
GMizuno
04/26/2013
05/02/2013
OFFICIAL RECORD COpy

05/02/2013
D: NRR/JLD*
DSkeen
05/03/2013

05/02/2013
D: NRR
ELeeds
05/07/2013

Letter to Joseph E. Pollock from Eric J. Leeds dated May 7,2013
SUBJECT:

ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE FINAL DRAFT REPORT
XXXXXX, "SEISMIC EVALUATION GUIDANCE: AUGMENTED APPROACH
FOR THE RESOLUTION OF FUKUSHIMA NEAR-TERM TASK FORCE
RECOMMENDATION 2.1: SEISMIC" AS ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE TO
THE MARCH 12, 2012, INFORMATION REQUEST FOR SEISMIC
REEVALUATIONS

DISTRIBUTION:
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