[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 1, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 11125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-4976]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-413]


Duke Power Company, et al., Catawba Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption from certain requirements of 10 
CFR Part 50, Appendix J, Paragraph III.D.1.(a), Type A Tests, to the 
Duke Power Company, et al. (the licensee), for operation of the Catawba 
Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1, located in York County, South Carolina, in 
accordance with Facility Operating License No. NFP-35.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    This Environmental Assessment has been prepared to address 
potential environmental issues related to the licensee's application of 
October 18, 1994, as supplemented on February 7, 1995. The proposed 
action would exempt the licensee from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 
50, Appendix J, Paragraph III.D.1.(a), to the extent that a one-time 
schedular extension would permit rescheduling the third containment 
integrated leak rate test (ILRT) in the first 10-year service period 
from the end-of-Cycle 8 outage until the end-of-Cycle 9 outage. The 
requested exemption would also allow the decoupling of this third test 
from the endpoint of the first 10-year inservice inspection.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The current containment integrated leakage rate (ILRT) requirements 
for Catawba Units 1 and 2, pursuant to Appendix J, are that, after the 
preoperational leak rate test, a set of three Type A tests must be 
performed at approximately equal intervals during each 10-year period. 
Also, the third test of each set must be conducted when the plant is 
shut down for the 10-year plant inservice inspection. This is reflected 
in the Catawba Technical Specifications (TS) as a testing interval of 
once each 40 months plus or minus 10 months, for a frequency of three 
times in a 120-month period. To date, for Catawba Unit 1, the 
preoperational and the first two periodic ILRTs have been conducted. 
The most recent ILRT was conducted in March 1991, approximately 47 
months ago. Thus, in accordance with Appendix J and the current TS, and 
ILRT would have to be conducted during the refueling outage beginning 
in February 1995 (the end-of-cycle (EOC) 8 outage).
    The licensee has requested an exemption from Appendix J and a 
corresponding change to the TS that would allow a one-time change to 
the interval for the Unit 1 ILRT from 40 plus or minus 10 months to 60 
plus or minus 10 months (once each 5 years). This would allow the EOC-8 
ILRT to be rescheduled for EOC-9. Therefore, the need for the 
licensee's proposed action is to allow a longer interval between the 
Catawba Unit 1 second and third periodic Type A ILRTs which will result 
in a cost savings to the licensee.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed one-time exemption would not increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents previously analyzed and the proposed one-
time exemption would not affect facility radiation levels or facility 
radiological effluents. The licensee has analyzed the results of 
previous Type A tests performed at the Catawba Nuclear Station, Unit 
No. 1. The licensee has provided an acceptable basis for concluding 
that the proposed one-time extension of the Type A test interval would 
maintain the containment leakage rates within acceptable limits. 
Accordingly, the Commission has concluded that the one-time extension 
does not result in a significant increase in the amounts of any 
effluents that may be released nor does it result in a significant 
increase in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. 
Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed exemption.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
exemption only involves Type A testing on the containment. It does not 
affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental 
impact. Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no 
significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed exemption.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since the Commission has concluded there is no measurable 
environmental impact associated with the proposed exemption, any 
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be 
evaluated. The principal alternative to this action would be to deny 
the request for exemption. Such action would not reduce the 
environmental impacts of plant operations.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of resources not previously 
considered in the ``Final Environmental Statement Related to the 
Operation of Catawba Nuclear Station Unit No. 1,'' dated January 1983.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, the NRC staff consulted with 
the South Carolina State official regarding the environmental impact of 
the proposed action. The State official had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Based upon the environmental assessment, the Commission concludes 
that the proposed action will 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, see the licensee's 
letter dated October 18, 1994, as supplemented February 7, 1995, which 
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 York County Library, 138 
East Black Street, Rock Hill, South Carolina.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of February 1995.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Herbert N. Berkow,
Director, Project Directorate II-3, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 95-4976 Filed 2-28-95; 8:45 am]
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