[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 4, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64378-64379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30901]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72-17 (50-344)]
Portland General Electric Company, et al.; Notice of Issuance of
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation at Trojan Nuclear Plant
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is
considering issuance of a materials license under the requirements of
Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 72, to Portland
General Electric Company, et al. (PGE or the applicant), authorizing
receipt and storage of spent fuel in an independent spent fuel storage
installation (ISFSI) located at its Trojan Nuclear Plant (TNP) in
Columbia County, Oregon. The Commission's Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, Spent Fuel Project Office, has completed its
environmental review in support of the issuance of a materials license.
The ``Environmental Assessment (EA) Related to the Construction and
Operation of the Trojan Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation''
has been issued in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51.
Summary of Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action: The proposed licensing action
would authorize the applicant to construct and operate a dry storage
ISFSI at the Trojan site. The primary function of the ISFSI is to
provide interim storage of spent fuel assemblies, fuel debris, and
greater than Class C (GTCC) waste, which were generated at the Trojan
Nuclear Plant during its operation.1
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\1\ At present, licenses issued under the Commission's
regulations at 10 CFR Part 72 are limited to the storage of spent
fuel and other radioactive materials associated with spent fuel
storage in an ISFSI. Storage of GTCC waste is not within the scope
of a Part 72 license. However, on November 2, 1995, PGE submitted a
petition for rulemaking requesting that the Commission amend its
Part 72 regulations to specifically provide for the storage of GTCC
waste in an ISFSI. See 61 FR 3619 (1996). Consideration of the
inclusion of this type of waste in the EA for the Trojan ISSFSI
should obviate the necessity for revisiting the environmental
impacts of storage of GTCC waste at Trojan if the Commission grants
PGE's petition and amends its regulations as requested.
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Currently, the spent fuel and fuel debris are stored in the Trojan
spent fuel pool.
PGE has selected a dry storage system using Sierra Nuclear
Corporation's TranStor Storage System design. The TranStor Storage
System is a vertical, dry storage system which utilizes a ventilated
concrete storage cask and a seal-welded steel basket to store spent
nuclear fuel assemblies, fuel debris and GTCC waste.
The license for an ISFSI under 10 CFR Part 72 is issued for 20
years. However, the licensee may apply to the Commission to renew the
license, if necessary, prior to its expiration.
Need for the Proposed Action: TNP was shutdown in November 1992,
and on January 27, 1993, PGE notified the NRC of its decision to
permanently cease power operation and subsequently defueled the
reactor, storing the spent fuel in the TNP spent fuel pool. Currently,
PGE has a possession-only license under 10 CFR Part 50 and applied to
terminate its license on January 25, 1995, by submitting a
decommissioning plan. The licensee proposed to decommission the
facility using a dismantlement or DECON approach as defined in the
``Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Decommissioning of
Nuclear Facilities,'' NUREG-0586, dated August 1988.
PGE's plans for decommissioning the TNP include decontamination and
dismantlement of contaminated structures, systems, and components. To
facilitate decommissioning, the spent fuel and other contents of the
spent fuel pool must be relocated. The licensee determined that an
ISFSI would be the most economical method for the temporary storage of
the spent fuel until acceptance of the spent fuel by the U.S.
Department of Energy, which is responsible for the permanent disposal
of spent fuel. Relocating the spent fuel to an ISFSI would allow TNP to
proceed with decontamination and dismantlement of the structures,
systems, and components without impacting the safe storage of spent
fuel.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: As discussed in the
EA, no significant construction impacts are anticipated. Trojan ISFSI
construction activities will affect only a small fraction of the land
area of TNP. With good construction practices, the potential for
fugitive dust, erosion, and noise, typical of the planned construction
activities, can be controlled to insignificant levels. The only
resources irretrievably committed are the steel, concrete, and other
construction materials used in the ISFSI pad, storage casks, and any
operating equipment.
As discussed in the EA, there will be no radiological liquid or
gaseous effluents during normal operation of the ISFSI. The estimated
doses to both occupational workers and members of the public are below
regulatory limits.
As discussed in the EA, no significant radiological impacts are
expected during operation of the ISFSI. The only environmental
interface of the ISFSI is
[[Page 64379]]
with the air surrounding the storage casks; the only discharge of waste
to the environment is heated air from the cask's passive heat
dissipation system. Climatological effects will be insignificant.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action: The ``Final Generic
Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) on Handling and Storage of Spent
Light-Water Power Reactor Fuel,'' NUREG-0575, found that the ISFSIs
represent a major means of interim storage at a reactor site. While the
environmental impacts of the dry storage ISFSI option were not
specifically addressed in the FGEIS, the use of alternative dry passive
storage techniques for aged fuel appeared to be as feasible as wet
storage and environmentally acceptable. However, environmental impacts
need to be considered on a site-specific basis. Several alternatives
were discussed in the EA, but none were more protective of the
environment nor was any alternative sufficient to meet the spent fuel
storage requirements for TNP. Because the Commission has concluded
there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the
proposed action, any alternative of equal or greater environmental
impacts need not be evaluated.
Alternative Use of Resources: The only resources committed
irretrievably and not previously considered in environmental documents
relating to the TNP are the steel, concrete, and other construction
materials used in the ISFSI.
Agencies and Persons Contacted: A representative of the Oregon
Department of Energy was contacted for supporting documentation in
connection with the preparation of the EA.
Finding of No Significant Impact
In summary, the TNP ISFSI is located in a small area within the
confines of the TNP owner-controlled area and will require only a minor
commitment of land resources. The proposed action is not expected to
cause any significant release of effluents, and there will be no
significant increases in individual and collective radiation doses to
either the public or on-site workers. Potential off-site impacts from a
postulated worst-case credible accident are a small fraction of the
regulatory limits of 10 CFR 72.106 and well below the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's Protective Action Guides. Therefore,
the proposed action will not significantly affect the quality of the
human environment. Accordingly, pursuant to the requirements of 10 CFR
51.31 and 51.32, the Commission has determined that a finding of no
significant impact is appropriate and that an environmental impact
statement need not be prepared for the issuance of a materials license
for the Trojan ISFSI.
The EA for the proposed action, on which this finding of no
significant impact is based, relied upon several environmental
documents, with independent assessment of data, analyses, and results.
The following documents were utilized: (1) ``Trojan Independent Spent
Fuel Storage Installation Environmental Report'' (PGE-1070), March 26,
1996, as supplemented by letter dated May 22, 1996; (2) ``Final
Environmental Statement Related to the Operation of the Trojan Nuclear
Plant,'' August 1973; (3) Trojan ISFSI License Application (PGE-1068),
Safety Analysis Report (PGE-1069), Decommissioning Plan (PGE-1061), and
related documentation; (4) ``Environmental Assessment by the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Related to the Request to Authorize
Facility Decommissioning--Trojan Nuclear Plant,'' December 1995; (5)
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions, 10 CFR Part 51; (6) ``Final Generic
Environmental Impact Statement on Handling and Storage of Spent Light
Water Power Reactor Fuel,'' NUREG-0575, August 1979.
The EA and other documents related to this proposed action are
available for public inspection and for copying for a fee at the NRC
Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20555, and at
the Local Public Document Room for TNP located at the Branford Price
Miller Library, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97207.
Dated at Rockville, MD, this 22nd day of November 1996.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Charles J. Haughney,
Acting Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 96-30901 Filed 12-3-96; 8:45 am]
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