§ 53.1550 Evaluating changes to facility as described in Final Safety Analysis Reports.
(a) The holder of an OL or COL may make changes in the facility as described in the FSAR (as updated) and make changes in the procedures as described in the FSAR (as updated) without obtaining a license amendment pursuant to § 53.1510 only if—
(1) A change to the technical specifications incorporated in the license is not required; and
(2) The change meets all of the following criteria:
(i) Does not result in an increase to the frequency or consequences of an event sequence such that an event sequence not previously identified as risk significant becomes risk significant by the analyses performed in accordance with § 53.450(e).
(ii) Does not result in an increase to the frequency or consequences of an event sequence such that an event sequence exceeds the licensing-basis event evaluation criteria required to be established in accordance with § 53.450(e).
(iii) Does not involve either of the following:
(A) A change to the NRC-approved comprehensive risk metric(s) or associated risk performance objective under § 53.220(b); or
(B) An increase to the frequency or consequences of one or more event sequences such that any calculated comprehensive risk metric exceeds the associated risk performance objective established in accordance with § 53.220.
(iv) Does not involve a departure from a method of evaluation described in the FSAR (as updated) used in assessing design-basis accidents in accordance with § 53.450(f) unless the results of the analysis under § 53.450(f) are conservative or essentially the same, the revised method of evaluation has been previously approved by the NRC for the intended application, or the revised method of evaluation can be used under an NRC-endorsed consensus code or standard.
(v) Does not result in a change to the safety classification of an SSC from safety-related to either non-safety-related but safety-significant or non-safety-related.
(vi) Does not result in more than a minimal decrease in defense in depth.
(vii) [Reserved]
(viii) Does not result in the identification of a new design-basis accident in accordance with § 53.450(f).
(ix) Does not result in more than a minimal increase in the consequences of any design-basis accident.
(3) In implementing this paragraph (a), the FSAR (as updated) is considered to include FSAR changes since submittal of the last update of the FSAR under § 53.1545.
(4) The provisions in this section do not apply to changes to the facility or procedures when the applicable regulations establish more specific criteria for accomplishing such changes.
(b)(1) A licensee who references a design certification rule may make departures from the standard design, without prior Commission approval, unless the proposed departure involves a change to the design as described in the rule certifying the design, in which case the requirements of § 53.1525 are applicable.
(2) The licensee must maintain records of all departures from the certified design of the facility and these records must be maintained and available for audit until the termination of the license. The licensee must identify the location and nature of departures from licensing-basis information within supporting documents for a certified design within the updates to the Safety Analysis Report required by § 53.1545.
(3) Licensees for which the NRC has docketed the certifications required under § 53.1070 need not retain records of departures from the design of the facility associated with SSCs that have been permanently removed from service using an NRC-approved change process.
(c)(1) The licensee must maintain records of changes in the facility and procedures made under paragraph (a) of this section. These records must include a written evaluation which provides the bases for the determination that the change does not require a license amendment under paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(2) The licensee must submit, as specified in § 53.040, a report containing a brief description of any departures and changes, including a summary of the evaluation of each. A report must be submitted at intervals not to exceed 24 months. For COLs, the report must be submitted at intervals not to exceed 6 months during the period from the date of application for a COL to the date the Commission makes its findings under § 53.1452(g).
(3) The records of changes in the facility must be maintained until the termination of an OL or COL issued under this part, or the termination of a renewed license issued under § 53.1595—whichever is later. Records of changes in procedures must be maintained for a period of 5 years.