[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
[[Page 25676]]
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.
[[Page 25677]]
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