[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]



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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.

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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