[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11506-11507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5749]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. STN 50-454]


Commonwealth Edison Company (Byron Station, Unit No. 1); 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission ) is 
considering issuance of an exemption from certain requirements of its 
regulations for Facility Operating License No. NPF-37, issued to 
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd, the licensee), for operation of 
Byron Station, Unit 1, located in Ogle County, Illinois.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt ComEd from the requirements of 10 
CFR 70.24, which require a monitoring system that will energize clear 
audible alarms if accidental criticality occurs in each area in which 
special nuclear material is handled, used, or stored. The proposed 
action would also exempt the licensee from the requirements to maintain 
emergency procedures for each area in which this licensed special 
nuclear material is handled, used, or stored to ensure that all 
personnel withdraw to an area of safety upon the sounding of the alarm, 
to familiarize personnel with the evacuation plan, and to designate 
responsible individuals for determining the cause of the alarm, and to 
place radiation survey instruments in accessible location for use in 
such an emergency.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for exemption dated October 16, 1997.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The purpose of 10 CFR 70.24 is to ensure that if a criticality were 
to occur during the handling of special nuclear material, personnel 
would be alerted to that fact and would take appropriate action. At a 
commercial nuclear power plant, the inadvertent criticality with which 
10 CFR 70.24 is concerned could occur during fuel handing operations. 
The special nuclear material that could be assembled into a critical 
mass at a commercial nuclear power plant is in the form of nuclear 
fuel; the quantity of other forms of special nuclear material that is 
stored on site in a given location is small enough to preclude 
achieving a critical mass. Because the fuel is not enriched beyond 5.0 
weight percent Uranium-235 and because commercial nuclear plant 
licensees have procedures and design features that prevent inadvertent 
criticality, the staff has determined that it is unlikely that an 
inadvertent criticality could occur due to the handling of special 
nuclear material at a commercial power reactor. The requirements of 10 
CFR 70.24, therefore, are not necessary to ensure the safety of 
personnel during the handling of special nuclear materials at 
commercial power reactors.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed actions 
and concludes that there is no significant environmental impact to 
Byron. Inadvertent or accidental criticality will be precluded through 
compliance with

[[Page 11507]]

the Byron Station Technical Specifications (TSs), the design of the 
fuel storage racks providing geometric spacing of fuel assemblies in 
their storage locations, and administrative controls imposed on fuel 
handling procedures. TSs requirements specify reactivity limits for the 
fuel storage racks and minimum spacing between the fuel assemblies in 
the storage racks.
    Appendix A of 10 CFR Part 50, ``General Design Criteria for Nuclear 
Power Plants,'' (GDC) Criterion 62, requires that criticality in the 
fuel storage and handling system shall be prevented by physical systems 
or processes, preferably by use of geometrically-safe configurations. 
This is met at Byron Station, as identified in the Updated Final Safety 
Analysis Report (UFSAR). Byron Station UFSAR Section 9.1.1.1, New Fuel 
Storage--Design Basis, states that, ``* * * the new fuel storage racks 
are designed such that the effective multiplication factor does not 
exceed 0.95 with fuel of a maximum enrichment of 5.00 wt% u-235 in 
place, assuming the stored assemblies are completely submerged in 
unborated water at a conservative water temperature and with no credit 
for neutron poison in the fuel assembly.'' NUREG-0876, ``Safety 
Evaluation Report Related to the Operation of Byron Station, Units 1 
and 2,'' dated February 1982, determined that the design of the Byron 
new fuel storage racks satisfied the requirements of GDC 62.
    The proposed exemption would not result in any significant 
radiological impacts. The proposed exemption would not affect 
radiological plant effluents nor cause any significant occupational 
exposures since the TSs, design controls (including geometric spacing 
of fuel assembly storage spaces), and administrative controls preclude 
inadvertent criticality. The amount of radioactive waste would not be 
changed by the proposed exemption.
    The proposed exemption does not result in any significant 
nonradiological environmental impacts. The proposed exemption involves 
features located entirely within the restricted area as defined in 10 
CFR Part 20. It does not affect non-radiological plant effluents and 
has no other environmental impact. Accordingly, the Commission 
concludes that there are no significant non-radiological environmental 
impacts associated the proposed action.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Since the Commission has concluded that there is no measurable 
environmental impact associated with the proposed action, any 
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be 
evaluated. As an alternative to the proposed exemption, the staff 
considered denial of the requested exemption. Denial of the request 
would result in no change in current environmental impacts. The 
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative are 
similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The action does not involve the use of any resources not previously 
considered in the ``Final Environmental Statement Related to the 
Operation of Byron Station, Units 1 and 2'' dated April 1982.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on February 24, 1999, the 
staff consulted with the Illinois State official, Mr. Frank Niziolek, 
Head, Reactor Safety Section, Division of Engineering, Illinois 
Department of Nuclear Safety, 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 October 16, 1997, which is available for public 
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, which is located 
at the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, D.C., and at 
the local public document room located at the Byron Public Library 
District, 109 N. Franklin, P.O. Box 434, Byron, Illinois 61010.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of March 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Stuart A. Richards,
Director, Project Directorate III-2, Division of Licensing Project 
Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 99-5749 Filed 3-8-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P