[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 33 (Thursday, February 17, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-3588]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: February 17, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
 

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company; Environmental Assessment and 
Finding of No Significant Impact

[Docket No. 50-318]
    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission] is 
considering issuance of an exemption from certain requirements of 10 
CFR part 50, appendix A, General Criterion 2, ``Design Bases For 
Protection Against Natural Phenomena,'' to Baltimore Gas and Electric 
Company (the licensee), for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, 
Unit No. 2, located at the licensee's site in Calvert County, Maryland.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption would allow relief from General Design 
Criterion 2 (GDC-2) during the upgrading of the Unit 1 emergency diesel 
generator (EDG) No. 11. The proposed exemption will permit the 
temporary removal of a steel missile door which provides missile 
protection for the No. 11 EDG, which will be out-of-service to allow 
for modifications which will increase its load capacity, and also 
provides missile protection to portions of the support systems for EDGs 
Nos. 12 and 21. EDGs Nos. 12 and 21 are required to be operable to 
support the operation of Unit 2.
    The upgrading of the Unit 1 EDG will be performed during the 
upcoming Unit 1 refueling outage (RFO-11). RFO-11 is scheduled to 
commence on February 8, 1994, and be completed in early May 1994. The 
steel missile door will be required to be removed about four times 
during the outage. The licensee estimates that each of the removals 
will last for about 24 hours, which will result in a total removal time 
of about 100 hours during the scheduled 89 day RFO-11.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed temporary exemption is needed to permit the completion 
of highly desirable upgrades to the Unit 1 EDG No. 11 without requiring 
a dual unit shutdown.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption does not involve any measurable 
environmental impacts during normal operation of Unit 2 since the plant 
configuration is changed only minimally for short periods of time when 
the missile door will be removed and overall plant operation is not 
changed. The likelihood of tornado-generated or other high wind-
generated missile damage during the time the exemption would be in 
effect and which could affect equipment required to be operable to 
avoid radiological impact is low. Also, the licensee indicates that the 
missile door will be installed whenever severe weather conditions 
arise. Thus, the proposed temporary exemption would not significantly 
affect the probability or consequences of potential reactor accidents 
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 features located entirely within the owner-
controlled area defined in 10 CFR part 20. The EDG upgrade project 
activities do not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no 
other environmental impact. Therefore, the staff concludes that there 
are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated 
with the proposed exemption.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    The principal alternative to requesting the temporary exemption for 
implementation of the EDG upgrade would be to comply with the 
restrictive requirements of GDC-2. However, this alternative would not 
significantly enhance the protection of the environment, and would 
result in a significant loss of power generation since a dual unit 
outage would be required.

Alternate Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the April 1973 Final Environmental Statement 
for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The NRC staff contacted the State of Maryland, Department of 
Natural Resources, regarding the environmental impact of this proposed 
action.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based upon the foregoing environmental assessment, the staff 
concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment and has determined, therefore, 
not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed 
exemption.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the 
application dated December 17, 1993, as supplemented on February 4, 
1994, 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 
Calvert County Library, Prince Frederick, Maryland 20678.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day of February 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert A. Capra,
Director, Project Directorate I-1, Division of Reactor Projects I/II, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-3588 Filed 2-16-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M