[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 90 (Friday, May 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25675-25677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-12148]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-272 and 50-311]


Public Service Electric & Gas Company, Philadelphia Electric 
Company, Delmarva Power and Light Company, Atlantic City Electric 
Company, Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1 and 2; Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of a license amendment for Facility Operating 
Licenses Nos. DPR-70 and DPR-75, issued to Public Service Electric and 
Gas Company (PSE&G, the licensee), for operation of the Salem Nuclear 
Generating Station, Units 1 and 2 (Salem Units 1 and 2).
    The facility consists of two pressurized-water reactors located at 
the licensee's site in Salem County, New Jersey.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would change Technical Specification (TS) 
3.4.3, ``Relief Valves,'' for Salem Unit 1, and TS 3.4.5, ``Relief 
Valves,'' for Salem

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Unit 2, to ensure that the automatic capability of the power operated 
relief valves (PORVs) to relieve pressure is maintained when these 
valves are isolated by closure of the block valves.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for amendment dated January 31, 1997, as supplemented by 
letter dated March 14, 1997.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    In June of 1990, the NRC issued Generic Letter (GL) 90-06 entitled 
``Resolution of Generic Issue 70, `Power-Operated Valve and Block Valve 
Reliability,' and Generic Issue 94 `Additional Low-Temperature 
Overpressurization Protection For Light-Water Reactors.''' This GL was 
issued to increase the reliability of the PORVs and block valves to 
assure that they would function as required for certain transients and 
accidents including Steam Generator Tube Rupture (SGTR), low 
temperature overpressurization protection, and plant cooldown. One of 
the actions required by the GL was to revise the limiting conditions 
for operation (LCO) of the PORVs and block valves in the TSs.
    PSE&G complied by submitting a request to change the TSs, by letter 
NLR-N93163 dated December 8, 1993, which was incorporated in the Salem 
Unit 1 and 2 licenses via Amendments 150 and 130, dated April 7, 1994, 
respectively. The submitted request and amendments were based on the 
guidance provided in the GL and also later revisions that were made to 
the LCO under NUREG-1431, ``Standard Technical Specifications 
Westinghouse Plants,'' Revision 0, dated September 1992. One of the 
changes afforded by NUREG-1431 was to allow PORV isolation provided the 
PORVs are capable of manual operation based on the mitigation of a 
Steam Generator Tube Rupture event; whereas, the TSs recommended in GL 
90-06 addressed isolation only for valves with excessive seat leakage.
    In June of 1993, Westinghouse issued Nuclear Safety Advisory 
letter, NSAL 93-013, which addressed the Inadvertent Safety Injection 
(SI) Actuation at Power event and informed plants that potential 
nonconservative assumptions were used in evaluating the Inadvertent SI 
analyses. Westinghouse determined that crediting PORV operation could 
be a potential solution for the mitigation of this event. The spurious 
operation of the SI System at power is classified as a Condition II 
event, a fault of moderate frequency, as referenced in Salem's Updated 
Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) Section 15.2.14. A Condition II 
event should result in a reactor shutdown with the plant being capable 
of returning to operation.
    PSE&G has determined that an inadvertent SI at power could cause 
the pressurizer to become water-solid if the resulting injection of 
borated water is not terminated. In the event that the pressurizer 
becomes fully water-solid, timely PORV actuation successfully mitigates 
the event. However, without automatic operation of the PORVs, the 
Reactor Coolant System (RCS) pressure may increase to the lift setpoint 
of the pressurizer safety relief valves before the PORVs are manually 
opened. The Salem pressurizer safety valves are not designed to relieve 
water. It is postulated, therefore, that one or more of the valves 
could fail to completely reseat if relieving a water-solid pressurizer. 
A resulting unisolable loss of RCS inventory has been analyzed in 
Salem's UFSAR as a Condition III event.
    A review of the current Salem TSs indicates that a TS revision is 
necessary to preclude the possibility of operating with PORVs that can 
only be cycled manually. PSE&G's re-analysis of the Inadvertent SI at 
Power performed to support resolution of NSAL 93-013, credits operator 
action to unblock the PORVs, if necessary. However, once unblocked it 
is unlikely that operator actions can be readily accomplished to 
manually cycle the PORVs such that the pressurizer safety valve 
pressure is not reached. Therefore, PSE&G submitted the proposed TS 
changes by letter dated January 31, 1997, to incorporate the results of 
PSE&G's analysis (i.e., to credit automatic operation of PORVs for an 
Inadvertent SI event), into the TSs.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    As indicated in Salem UFSAR Section 15.2.4, ``Spurious Operation of 
The Safety Injection System at Power,'' the results of this transient 
do not lead to fuel cladding damage and thus no fission products are 
released. The proposed changes to the TSs assure that post transient 
reactor coolant system pressure relief will continue to be 
controllable; thus, no change in the transient result will occur. 
Accordingly, no changes are being made in the types of any effluent 
that may be released offsite, and there is no significant increase in 
the allowable individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. 
Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no significant 
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
action involves features located entirely within the restricted area as 
defined in 10 CFR Part 20. 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 action.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since the Commission has concluded there is no measurable 
environmental impact associated with the proposed action, any 
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be 
evaluated. The principal alternative to the action would be to deny the 
request. Such action would not change any current environmental 
impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the 
alternative action are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement related to 
the operation of Salem Nuclear Generating Station Units 1 and 2, dated 
April 1973.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on April 15, 1997, the staff 
consulted with the New Jersey State official, Mr. R. Pinney, of the New 
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy, 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 action.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated January 31, 1997, and supplement dated March 
14, 1997, 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 
Salem Free Library, 112 West Broadway, Salem, New Jersey 08079.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of May 1997.


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    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John F. Stolz,
Director, Project Directorate I-2, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 97-12148 Filed 5-8-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P