[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 129 (Thursday, July 7, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-16446]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: July 7, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-438; 50-439]

 

In the Matters of Tennessee Valley Authority (Bellefonte Nuclear 
Plant, Units 1 and 2)

Order

I

    Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA or the applicant) is the current 
holder of Construction Permit Nos. CPPR-122 and CPPR-123, issued by the 
Atomic Energy Commission on December 12, 1974, for construction of the 
Bellefonte Nuclear Plant (BLN), Units 1 and 2. These facilities are 
currently under construction at the applicant's site on a peninsula at 
Tennessee River Mile (TRM) 392 on the west shore of Guntersville 
Reservoir, about 6 miles east-northeast of Scottsboro, Alabama.
    On April 19, 1994, the TVA filed a request pursuant to 10 CFR 
50.55(b) for extensions of the completion dates. The extensions were 
sought because construction activities had been deferred in 1988 due, 
in part, to a lower than expected load forecast. On March 23, 1993, TVA 
notified NRC that it planned to resume completion activities 120 days 
from the date of the letter. However, as a result of the delay from the 
inactivity during the construction deferral and a need to conduct an 
Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process to consider the lowest-cost 
options for providing an adequate supply of electricity to TVA's 
customers pursuant to the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, 
TVA is unable to complete the construction of the two units before the 
expiration of CPPR-122 on July 1, 1994, and CPPR-123 on July 1, 1996, 
and construction permits extensions now need to be extended. As part of 
the planning process, TVA will evaluate the completion of the BLN units 
along with other generating options. The IRP process is presently 
scheduled for completion in November 1995. Additional delays associated 
with these efforts to ensure that BLN complies with regulatory 
requirements and licensing commitments make it necessary for TVA to 
request extensions of the expiration dates for Construction Permit Nos. 
CPPR-122 and CPPR-123.

II

    The NRC staff has concluded that good cause has been shown for the 
delays, the extensions are sought for a reasonable period, and this 
action involves no significant hazards consideration, the basis for 
which are given in the staff's evaluation.
    The NRC staff has prepared an Environmental Assessment and Finding 
of No Significant Impact which was published in the Federal Register on 
May 26, 1994 (59 FR 27299).
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that 
extending the construction completion dates will have no significant 
impact on the environment.
    The applicant's letter dated April 19, 1994, and the NRC staff's 
letter and safety evaluation of the request for extensions of the 
construction permits, dated June 27, 1994, are available for public 
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, Gelman Building, 
2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 20555-0001 and at the Local Public 
Document Room, Scottsboro Public Library, 1002 South Broad Street, 
Scottsboro, Alabama 37402.

III

    It is hereby ordered that the latest construction completion date 
for Permit No. CPPR-122 is extended to October 1, 2001 and the latest 
construction completion date for Construction Permit No. CPPR-123 is 
extended to October 1, 2004.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 27th day of June 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William T. Russell,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-16446 Filed 7-6-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M