[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-10010]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 26, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-1007]

 

Sierra Nuclear Corporation; Environmental Assessment and Finding 
of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption to Sierra Nuclear Corporation 
(SNC) (formerly Pacific Sierra Nuclear Associates), located in Roswell, 
Georgia, to fabricate (but not use) a modified version of its NRC-
approved Ventilated Storage Casks (VSC-24). These modified casks are 
intended to be used by Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy) to store 
spent fuel at its Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) plant (Docket Nos. 50-313/
368, License Nos. DPR-51/ NPF6) located near Russellville, Arkansas.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The request, proposed by SNC letter dated January 24, 1994, would 
exempt SNC from the requirements of 10 CFR 72.234(c), which states that 
``Fabrication of casks under the Certificate of Compliance must not 
start prior to receipt of the Certificate of Compliance for the cask 
model.'' Specifically, SNC proposed to fabricate the first fourteen 
(14) casks prior to the Commission's issuance of a revised Certificate 
of Compliance. The Commission is considering granting the exemption for 
four (4) casks and deferring action with respect to the remaining ten 
(10) casks. Granting the exemption at this time for fabrication of four 
(4) casks would readily enable ANO to proceed with activities to 
support its scheduled plant outages. The proposed exemption for 
fabrication would not authorize use of the casks to store spent fuel.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    SNC's request for exemption is to ensure the availability of 
storage casks for planned loading in October 1994, in order to support 
ANO's upcoming refueling outages. SNC has indicated that in order to 
meet this schedule, purchase of the cask components and materials must 
begin promptly and fabrication must commence thereafter. The 
application for a revised Certificate of Compliance for the VSC-24, 
dated June 14, 1993, is being considered by the Commission.
    Procurement, fabrication, and construction activities by SNC under 
the exemption would be entirely at SNC's own risk. Favorable NRC action 
on the exemption request shall not be construed as an NRC commitment to 
favorably consider SNC's application for a revised certificate, or to 
approve SNC's modified proposed design for the VSC-24. SNC would bear 
the risk of any activities conducted under the exemption, including the 
risk of modification of the casks, if necessary, in light of NRC's 
forthcoming action on SNC's application and proposed design.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The Commission has evaluated the environmental impacts of the 
proposed action, which is limited to fabrication only and would not 
authorize any action with respect to use of the casks to store spent 
fuel. The NRC reviewed the VSC-24 design Final Safety Analysis Report 
(SAR), and on April 28, 1993, issued a Safety Evaluation Report (SER) 
approving the SAR, and on May 3, 1993, issued a Certificate of 
Compliance for use of the VSC-24 under a general license. As a result 
of this SAR review and approval, SNC has an NRC-approved quality 
assurance program under which the VSCs can be fabricated. SNC has 
developed procurement and fabrication specifications under this 
approved QA program, which will be used to control procurement and 
fabrication activities related to construction of these casks. 
Environmental impact from the limited fabrication activities would be 
similar to small concrete construction activities at an existing 
facility and similar to the assembly of metal components at a large 
machine shop. The environmental assessments for the Proposed Rule (54 
FR 19397) and Final Rule (55 FR 29181), ``Storage of Spent Fuel in NRC-
approved Storage Casks at Power Reactor Sites,'' and Final Rule (58 FR 
19849), ``List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: Additions'' 
considered the environmental impact associated with the construction 
and use of such certified casks and concluded that these activities 
would have no significant impact on the environment. Accordingly, the 
Commission concludes that the exemption to fabricate (but not use) the 
limited number of casks, will have no significant radiological or 
nonradiological environmental impacts.

Alternative to the Proposed Action

    The alternative would be to deny the requested exemption. This 
would result potentially in the loss of lead time for procurement and 
fabrication necessary for the availability of casks intended for 
Entergy, and could thereby cause disruptions in planned activities for 
a series of plant outages beginning in 1995.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    The Commission's staff reviewed SNC's request and did not consult 
other agencies or persons.

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, the request for 
exemption dated January 24, 1994, and other documents are available for 
public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, the Gelman 
Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 20555, and the Local 
Public Document Room at the Tomlinson Library (Depository), Arkansas 
Tech University, Russellville, Arkansas 72801.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of April, 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
E. William Brach,
Deputy Director, Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, 
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 94-10010 Filed 4-25-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M