[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 1994)]
[Notices]
[Pages 100-101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 93-32089]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 3, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-261]

 

Carolina Power & Light Co.; H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, 
Unit No. 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering issuance of a 
scheduler exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix 
E, to Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L or the licensee), for H.B. 
Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2 (HBR), located in Darlington 
County, South Carolina.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption would allow temporary relief from the 
requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix E, Section IV.F.2., for the 
licensee at HBR to annually exercise its emergency plan. By letter 
dated November 21, 1993, as supplemented November 22, 1993, the 
licensee requested an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR part 
50, Appendix E, to conduct an annual exercise of the HBR Radiological 
Emergency Plan in 1993. The licensee had planned to conduct a full-
participation exercise involving the State of South Carolina and local 
response organizations on November 30, 1993. The licensee requested 
that an exemption be granted for the conduct of the onsite portion of 
the exercise because the licensee would not have sufficient staff to 
conduct a meaningful exercise of the HBR Emergency Plan due to resource 
constraints caused by an unscheduled outage to investigate and address 
core design issues. This proposed delay will prevent HBR from meeting 
the requirement to conduct an annual exercise of the HBR Emergency 
Plan. However, the licensee proposed that the offsite portion of the 
exercise involving the State of South Carolina and local governmental 
authorities be conducted as scheduled on November 30, 1993. The 
licensee requested a delay of the onsite portion of the 1993 annual 
exercise from November 30, 1993, to the week of March 21, 1994. The 
request to move the exercise date was originated by the licensee 
because they would be unable to participate on November 30, 1993, as a 
result of their involvement at that time in addressing safety issues 
identified during startup after refueling outage 15. The reactor was 
ascending to full power operation after a refueling outage when low 
power physics testing revealed an improper configuration emanating from 
the design of the new fuel. The new fuel consisted of 44 fuel 
assemblies, 5 of which were found to be configured improperly against 
design specifications. As a result, the NRC dispatched an Augmented 
Inspection Team to the site and the licensee formed three investigative 
teams. The licensee stated that all of these efforts to develop 
corrective actions for core reconfiguration and to investigate and 
resolve any industry implications of fuel configuration problems 
diverted focus and resources. The offsite portion of the exercise 
involving the State of South Carolina and local governmental 
authorities would be conducted as scheduled on November 30, 1993. This 
proposed delay will prevent the licensee from meeting the requirement 
to annually exercise the HBR Radiological Emergency Plan, as specified 
in Appendix E to 10 CFR part 50, and, therefore, the licensee requested 
a scheduler exemption.
    The previous emergency preparedness exercise at HBR was 
successfully conducted on November 17, 1992, and included the partial 
participation of State and local agencies for notifications and 
communications only. The licensee had scheduled, planned, and 
coordinated the 1993 exercise with participating Federal, State, and 
local agencies for November 30, 1993. The scope and objectives, and the 
final scenario documentation for the November 1993 exercise were 
submitted to the NRC on September 13, 1993, and October 14, 1993, 
respectively, which is within the time frame established for their 
submittal in support of a November 1993 exercise. In addition, the 
licensee states that a training exercise with the State of South 
Carolina and local governmental agencies was conducted on November 16, 
1993, which activated all emergency facilities and included 
participation from all major responder groups.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption is needed because the licensee would not 
have sufficient staff to meaningfully exercise the HBR Emergency Plan 
due to resource constraints caused by an unscheduled outage to 
investigate and address core design issues.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption does not involve any measurable 
environmental impacts since the exemption deals with the exercise of 
the licensee's emergency plan. Plant configuration and operations are 
not changed. Thus, the proposed exemption would not affect the 
probability or consequences of a potential reactor accident and would 
not otherwise affect radiological plant effluents. Consequently, the 
Commission concludes that there are no significant radiological impacts 
associated with the proposed exemption.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
exemption involves only the emergency plan exercises. It does not 
affect nonradiological plant effluents and there are no other 
nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
exemption.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since the staff has concluded that there are no measurable 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed exemption, any 
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be 
evaluated.
    The principal alternative to the exemption would be to require 
strict compliance with 10 CFR part 50, Appendix E, Section IV.F.2., for 
the licensee at HBR to annually exercise its emergency plan. This would 
not reduce environmental impacts of plant operation and would result in 
a diversion of plant resources from addressing important health and 
safety issues.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This exemption from the scheduled exercise in November 1993 does 
not reduce the use of resources since the schedule for future exercises 
will not be affected by this exemption. The licensee has stated it will 
conduct the previously scheduled 1994 exercise in November 1994, as 
planned. Thus, the requested exemption would provide only temporary 
relief from the requirement to conduct an annual exercise.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The staff consulted with the State of South Carolina regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based upon the foregoing environmental assessment, the Commission 
concludes that the proposed action would not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the Commission 
has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the 
proposed exemption.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the 
application dated November 21, 1993, as supplemented November 22, 1993, 
which is available for public inspection at the Commission's Public 
Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at the local 
public document room located at the Hartsville Memorial Library, Home 
and Fifth Avenues, Hartsville, SC 29550.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of December 1993.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
George F. Wunder,
Acting Director, Project Directorate II-I, Division of Reactor 
Projects--I/II, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 93-32089 Filed 12-30-93; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M