[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 83 (Monday, April 29, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 18767-18769] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-10515] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY Environmental Impact Statement: Proposed Conversion of the Tennessee Valley Authority Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority. ACTION: Notice of intent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed conversion and operation of the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant as a fossil- fueled power plant. Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant is located near the cities of Hollywood and Scottsboro in northeast Alabama. The proposed action would undertake conversion, modification and addition of equipment; the construction of new facilities; and the subsequent operation of the Bellefonte facility as a fossil-fueled power plant with an approximate electric capacity between 450 megawatts (MW) and 3,000 MW, dependent on the conversion alternative selected. Fossil fuels to be considered are natural gas, coal, and petroleum [[Page 18768]] coke. Plant conversion technologies to be considered in detail include coal gasification, combustion turbine combined cycle, pressurized fluidized bed combustion, and chemical coproduction. The Department of Energy (DOE) will act as a cooperating agency for development and review of the environmental impact statement to the extent that the proposed site could be a demonstration site for technologies, such as integrated gasification combined cycle modules and advanced combustion turbines. The ownership and operation of some facilities at Bellefonte may include entities in addition to TVA under some alternatives. DATES: Comments on the scope of the EIS must be postmarked no later than May 29, 1996. TVA plans to conduct a public meeting in the vicinity of the Bellefonte plant in May 1996 to discuss the project and to obtain comments on the scope of the EIS. The time and location of this meeting will be announced in local news media. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Dale Wilhelm, National Environmental Policy Act Liaison, Tennessee Valley Authority, mail stop WT 8C, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499. Comments may also be e-mailed to [email protected]. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Carter, Environmental Research Center, Tennessee Valley Authority, mail stop CEB 4C, Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35662-1010. E-mail may be sent to [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Construction began on TVA's Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in 1974. The plant is a pressurized water reactor design with two units. The nuclear steam supply system was designed and supplied by Babcock & Wilcox, Inc. A final EIS was issued for the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in 1974. Completion of construction was deferred in 1988 because TVA power system requirements grew slower than projected. TVA's Integrated Resource Plan TVA's integrated resource plan and programmatic environmental impact statement, Energy Vision 2020, was completed in December 1995. Energy Vision 2020 contains recommendations for meeting the future TVA power system capacity requirements. The short-term action plan of Energy Vision 2020 recommended the following concerning the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant: ``Converting the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant to a combined cycle plant utilizing natural gas or gasified coal as the primary fuel has been identified as one of the most viable alternatives. Such an alternative provides the opportunity to utilize a substantial portion of the Bellefonte non-nuclear plant equipment. However, there is a degree of uncertainty and market risk associated with this alternative which requires further in-depth engineering and financial examination.'' Conversion Alternatives The conversion alternatives expected to be addressed in this EIS are described below: Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion (PFBC) The PFBC alternative would consist of 8 modules, each consisting of one PFBC unit, one advanced combustion turbine, and one heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The steam produced by the 8 modules would be routed to Bellefonte's existing steam turbine-generator systems. The net electric output of this alternative is expected to be 2,400 MW. Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) The NGCC alternative would consist of 8 to 10 modules, each consisting of one combustion turbine and one HRSG. The steam produced would be routed to Bellefonte's existing steam turbine-generator systems. The net electric output of this alternative is expected to be 2,600 MW. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) The IGCC alternative would consist of 8 modules, each consisting of one coal gasification plant, one advanced combustion turbine, and one HRSG. The steam produced would be routed to Bellefonte's existing steam turbine-generator systems. The net electric output of this alternative is expected to be 2,720 MW. Integrated Gasification Combined cycle (IGCC) With Chemical Coproduction This alternative would consist of 4 coal gasification plants, one advanced combustion turbine, one HRSG, and chemical production plants. Approximately 70 percent of the synthesis gas produced by the 4 coal gasification plants would be routed to the chemical production plants. The remaining synthesis gas would serve the combustion turbine. The net electric output of this alternative is expected to be 450 MW. Combination NGCC and IGCC Alternative This alternative would combine the configuration of NGCC and IGCC with chemical coproduction in a phased manner. The first phase of this alternative would consist of a 335 MW NGCC demonstration module consisting of one natural gas-fired advanced combustion turbine and one HRSG. The steam produced would be routed to Bellefonte's existing steam turbine-generator system (unit 2). In the next phase, a 340 MW IGCC facility would be constructed. This IGCC facility would consist of one coal gasification unit, one advanced combustion turbine, and a HRSG. The steam produced would be routed to the existing steam turbine- generator (unit 2). After construction of the IGCC facility, an IGCC chemical coproduction facility may be constructed. The coproduction facility would consist of 3 coal gasification units and related chemical production plants. Excess steam would be routed to the existing steam turbine-generator system (unit 2). Net electric output at the end of this phase would be 785 MW. In the final phase, an NGCC facility would be added. This facility would consist of 5 to 8 natural gas-fired modules each consisting of one advanced combustion turbine and one HRSG. The steam produced would be routed to the other existing steam turbine-generator system (unit 1). Net electric output at the end of this final phase is expected to be approximately 2,600 MW. Other Conversion Alternatives to be Considered Certain emerging technologies may also be addressed as possible conversion alternatives. For example, the use of natural gas fired heaters to supply either high temperature pressurized water or a high temperature heat transfer fluid to the existing nuclear steam supply system steam generators may be analyzed. The use of a coal refinery as a companion process to gasification may also be analyzed. The coal refinery process would produce chemical products and supply char to an integrated gasification combined cycle process. No Action Alternative As discussed in TVA's Integrated Resource Plan, the no action alternative to conversion of Bellefonte to a fossil-fuel power plant would be the continued deferral of the Bellefonte plant. TVA would continue to explore entering into arrangements with outside entities to complete these units as [[Page 18769]] nuclear facilities in partnership with TVA. Further environmental review, if any, beyond the existing final EIS for Bellefonte Nuclear Units 1 and 2 for operation as a nuclear facility would coincide with consideration of such a proposed arrangement. Proposed Issues to be Addressed The EIS will describe the existing environmental, cultural, and recreational resources that may be potentially affected by construction and operation of the project. TVA's evaluation of potential environmental impacts due to project construction and operation will include, but not necessarily be limited to the impacts on air quality, water quality, aquatic ecology, endangered and threatened species, wetland resources, aesthetics and visual resources, noise, land use, cultural resources, fuel transportation, and socioeconomic resources. TVA's Integrated Resource Plan, Energy Vision 2020, identifies and evaluates TVA's need for additional energy resources. Air quality will likely be one of the most important potential impact areas. Air pollutant emissions from fossil fuel combustion would include nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Because the proposed project is to be located on a previously disturbed site, the issues of terrestrial wildlife, vegetation, and land use are not likely to be important. Natural gas is one of the candidate conversion fuels. However, there is currently no supply of natural gas in the vicinity of the Bellefonte plant. Therefore, the EIS will assess the construction and operation of a natural gas pipeline by considering several alternative pipeline corridors. The results from evaluating the potential environmental impacts related to these issues and other important issues identified in the scoping process together with engineering and economic considerations will be used in selecting a preferred alternative for the Bellefonte conversion. Scoping Process Scoping, which is integral to the NEPA process, is a procedure that solicits public input to the EIS process to ensure that: (1) Issues are identified early and properly studied; (2) issues of title significance do not consume time and effort; (3) the draft EIS is thorough and balanced; and (4) delays caused by an inadequate draft EIS are avoided. TVA's NEPA procedures require that the scoping process commence as soon as practicable after a decision has been reached to prepare an EIS in order to provide an early and open process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying the significant issues related to a proposed action. The scope of issues to be addressed in a draft EIS will be determined, in part, from written comments submitted by mail, and comments presented orally or in writing at a public meeting. The preliminary identification of reasonable alternatives and environmental issues is not meant to be exhaustive or final. TVA considers the scoping process to be open and dynamic in the sense that alternatives other than those given above may warrant study and new matters may be identified for potential evaluation. The scoping process will include both interagency and public scoping. The public is invited to submit written comments or e-mail comments on the scope of this EIS no later than the date given under the DATES section of this notice and/or attend a public meeting in May that will be announced in area news media. Federal and state agencies to be included in the interagency scoping include U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and Alabama Historical Commission. Upon consideration of the scoping comments, TVA will develop a range of alternatives and identify important environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS. Following analysis of the environmental consequences of each alternative, TVA will prepare a draft EIS for public review and comment. Notice of availability of the draft EIS will be announced, written comments on the draft solicited, and information about possible public meetings to comment on the draft EIS will be published at a future date. TVA expects to release a final EIS by October 1997. Dated: April 23, 1996. Kathryn J. Jackson, Senior Vice President, Resource Group. [FR Doc. 96-10515 Filed 4-26-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8120-01-M