[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28909]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 23, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-352 and 50-353]

 

Philadelphia Electric Company; Limerick Generating Station, Units 
1 and 2; Notice of Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of 
No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Nos. 
NPF-39 and NPF-85, issued to Philadelphia Electric Company (PECo or the 
licensee), for the operation of the Limerick Generating Station, Units 
1 and 2, located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Identification of Proposed Action

    The amendment would consist of changes to the Technical 
Specifications (TSs) and would authorize an increase of the storage 
capacity in each of the spent fuel pools (SFP) from 2040 fuel 
assemblies to 4117 fuel assemblies.
    The amendment to the TS is responsive to the licensee's application 
dated January 14, 1994. The NRC staff has prepared an Environmental 
Assessment of the Proposed Action.

Summary of Environmental Assessment

    The ``Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) on 
Handling and Storage of Spent Light Water Power Reactor Fuel,'' NUREG-
0575, Volumes 1-3, concluded that the environmental impact of interim 
storage of spent fuel was negligible. Because of the differences in 
design, the FGEIS recommended licensing SFP expansions on a case-by-
case basis.
    For Limerick, 1 and 2, the expansion of the storage capacity of the 
SFP will not create any significant additional radiological effects or 
nonradiological environmental impacts. The additional whole body dose 
that might be received by an individual at the site boundary and the 
estimated dose to the population within an 80 kilometer radius is 
believed to be too small to have any significance when compared to the 
fluctuations in the annual dose this population receives from exposure 
to background radiation. The occupational radiation dose for the 
proposed operation of the expanded SFP is estimated to be extremely 
small compared to the total annual occupational radiation exposure for 
this facility.
    The nonradiological impacts of SFP expansion include increased heat 
load due to the increased spent fuel inventory and a corresponding 
increase in spent fuel waste heat rejected from the plant. The total 
increase in heat load is well within the plant cooling system 
capability and the additional waste heat rejected to the environment 
will be small in comparison to the amount of total heat currently being 
released. There is no significant environmental impact attributed to 
the waste heat from the plant due to this very small increase.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The staff has reviewed the proposed SFP expansion to the facility 
relative to the requirements set forth in 10 CFR part 51. Based upon 
the environmental assessment, the NRC staff concludes that there are no 
significant radiological or nonradiological impacts associated with the 
proposed license amendment and that the issuance of the proposed 
license amendment will have no significant impact on the quality of the 
human environment. Therefore, the Commission has determined, pursuant 
to 10 CFR 51.31, not to prepare an environmental impact statement for 
the proposed amendment.
    For further details with respect to this action, see (1) the 
application for amendments dated January 14, 1994, and supplements 
dated March 22, July 14, September 1, and October 21, 1994, (2) the 
FGEIS on Handling and Storage of Spent Light Water Power Reactor Fuel 
(NUREG-0575), (3) the Final Environmental Statement for the Limerick 
Generating Station, Units 1 and 2, dated April 1984, and (4) the 
Environmental Assessment, dated November 16, 1994.
    These documents are available for public inspection at the 
Commission's Public Document Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, 
NW., Washington, DC, and at the local public document room located at 
the Pottstown Public Library, 500 High Street, Pottstown, Pennsylvania 
19464.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of November 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John F. Stolz,
Director, Project Directorate I-2, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-28909 Filed 11-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M