[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 120 (Thursday, June 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 32567]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-15289]



[[Page 32567]]

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-414]


Duke Power Co., el al; Catawba Nuclear Station, Unit No. 2; 
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 Duke 
Power Company, et al. (the licensee), for operation of the Catawba 
Nuclear Station, Unit No. 2, 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 
dated May 18, 1995, as supplemented by letter dated May 31, 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 7 outage until the end-of-cycle 8 
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 requirement for 
Catawba, Unit 2, pursuant to Appendix J, is that, after the 
preoperational leak rate 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 time in a 120-month period. To date, for Catawba 
Unit 2, the preoperational and the first two periodic ILRTs have been 
conducted. The most recent ILRT was conducted in February 1993, 
approximately 28 months ago. Thus, in accordance with appendix J and 
the current TS, an ILRT would have to be conducted during the refueling 
outage beginning in October 1995 (the end-of-cycle (EOC) 7 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 2 ILRT from 40 plus or minus 10 months to 
less than or equal to 70 months. This would allow the EOC-7 ILRT to be 
rescheduled for EOC-8. Therefore, the need for the licensee's proposed 
action is to allow a longer interval between the Catawba Unit 2 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. 2. 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 Units 1 and 2,'' dated January 
1983.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on June 6, 1995, the NRC 
staff consulted with the South Carolina State official, Mr. M.K. 
Batavia, PE, Chief of the Bureau of Radiological Health, Department of 
Health and Environmental controls, 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 May 18, 1995, as supplemented by letter dated May 31, 
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, MD this 15th day of June 1995.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Herbert N. Berkow,
Director, Project Directorate II-2, Division of Reactor Projects-I/II, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 95-15289 Filed 6-21-95; 8:45 am]
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