[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 26 (Tuesday, February 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-2792]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: February 8, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-352]

 

Philadelphia Electric Co., Limerick Generating Station, Unit 1; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption from the requirements of Section 
III.D.1.(a) of Appendix J to 10 CFR part 50, issued to Philadelphia 
Electric Company (the licensee), for the Limerick Generating Station, 
Unit 1, located at the licensee's site in the Chester and Montgomery 
Counties, Pennsylvania.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would grant an exemption from 10 CFR part 50, 
Appendix J, Section III.D.1.(a) which requires a set of three Type A 
tests (i.e., Containment Integrated Leakage Rate Test (CILRT)) to be 
performed at approximately equal intervals during each 10-year service 
period and specifies that the third test of each set shall be conducted 
when the plant is shutdown for the performance of the 10-year plant 
inservice inspection (ISI). The exemption would allow a one-time 15-
month extension of the 40 +/- 10-month interval between the Unit 1 
second and third Type A test required by Technical Specifications (TS) 
Surveillance Requirement 4.6.1.2.a. Hence, this one-time exemption 
would allow the third, Unit 1, Type A test to be performed during the 
sixth Unit 1 refueling outage scheduled to begin in January 1996, 
approximately 65 months after the last Unit 1 test, thereby coinciding 
with the 10-year plant ISI refueling outage.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for exemption dated November 30, 1993.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption from Appendix J is required in order to 
allow the third Type A test to be performed during the sixth Unit 1 
refueling outage scheduled to begin in January 1996, thereby coinciding 
with the 10-year ISI refueling outage, instead of requiring the 
performance of a Type A test during both the fifth and sixth Unit 1 
refueling outages. This one-time extension of the Type A test interval 
would also result in the third Type A test being performed 20 months 
after the end of the Unit 1 first 10-year service period specified in 
10 CFR part 50, Appendix J, ``Primary Reactor Containment Leakage 
Testing for Water-Cooled Reactors'' (i.e., August, 1994). In this way 
the third Type A test would be performed during the sixth Unit 1 
refueling outage which would align the start of the second 10 CFR part 
50, Appendix J, 10-year service period with the start of the second 10-
year ISI period.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The Commission has completed the evaluation of the proposed 
exemption and concludes that this action would not significantly 
increase the probability or amount of expected primary containment 
leakage; hence, the containment integrity would be maintained. The 
current requirement in Section III.D.1.(a) of Appendix J in 10 CFR part 
50 to perform the three Type A tests would continue to be met, with the 
exception of the time interval between the second and the third Type A 
tests would be extended from 40 +/- 10 months to 65 months. The third 
Type A test would be performed approximately 65 months after the second 
Type A test and approximately 20 months after the end of the first 10 
year service period. Based on the information presented in the 
licensee's application, the proposed extended test interval would not 
result in a non-detectable leakage rate in excess of the value 
established by 10 CFR part 50, Appendix J, or in any changes to the 
containment structure or plant systems. Consequently, the probability 
of accidents would not be increased, nor would the post-accident 
radiological releases be greater than previously determined. Neither 
would the proposed exemption otherwise affect radiological plant 
effluents. Accordingly, the Commission concludes that this proposed 
action would result in no significant radiological environmental 
impact.
    With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed 
exemption does not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no 
other environmental impact. Therefore, the Commission concludes that 
there are no significant non-radiological environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed exemption.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since the Commission concluded that there are no measurable 
environmental effects that would result from the proposed action, any 
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impacts need not be 
evaluated.
    The principal alternative would be to deny the requested exemption. 
This would not reduce environmental impacts of plant operation and 
would result in reduced operational flexibility.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This proposed action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statements for the 
Limerick Generating Station, Units 1 and 2, dated April 1984.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

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

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the proposed exemption.
    Based upon the foregoing environmental assessment, the Commission 
concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the 
application for exemption dated November 30, 1993, which is available 
for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, The 
Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 20555, and at the 
local public document room located at Pottstown Public Library, 500 
High Street, Pottstown, Pennsylvania 19464.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of February 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Charles L. Miller,
Director, Project Directorate I-2, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-2792 Filed 2-7-94; 8:45 am]
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