[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 53 (Friday, March 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13611-13612]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6769]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket 72-13]


Entergy Operations, Inc., Arkansas Nuclear One Power Plant; 
Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant 
Impact Regarding the Proposed Exemption From Certain Requirements of 10 
CFR Part 72

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is 
considering issuance of an exemption, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, from the 
provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2) and 72.214 to Entergy Operations, 
Inc. (Entergy). The requested exemption would allow Entergy to store 
burnable poison rod assemblies (BPRAs) in Ventilated Storage Cask-24 
(VSC-24) systems at the Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) Independent Spent 
Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).

Environmental Assessment (EA)

    Identification of Proposed Action: By letter dated January 18, 
1999, Entergy requested an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 
72.214 to store BPRAs in VSC-24s at the ANO ISFSI. ANO is a general 
licensee, authorized by NRC to use spent fuel storage casks approved 
under 10 CFR Part 72, Subpart K. Furthermore, ANO is using the VSC-24 
design approved by NRC under COC No. 1007 to store spent fuel at the 
ISFSI.
    For the NRC to permit ANO to store BPRAs in the VSC-24s, the NRC, 
on its own initiative, must also grant ANO an exemption from the 
general license conditions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2). Section 72.212(a)(2) 
states that the general license for storage of spent fuel at power 
reactor sites is limited to storage of spent fuel in casks approved 
under the provisions in 10 CFR Part 72. By exempting ANO from both 10 
CFR 72.214 and 72.212(a)(2), ANO will be authorized to use its general 
license to store spent fuel in casks approved under Part 72, as 
exempted, to allow storage of BPRAs. The proposed action before the 
Commission is whether to grant these exemptions under 10 CFR 72.7.
    The ISFSI is located 6 miles west-northwest of Russellville, 
Arkansas, on the ANO Power Plant site. The ANO ISFSI is an existing 
facility constructed for interim dry storage of spent ANO nuclear fuel.
    On December 30, 1998, the cask designer, Sierra Nuclear Corporation 
(SNC) (also known as Pacific Sierra Nuclear Associates), submitted a 
COC amendment request to NRC to address the storage of Babcock and 
Wilcox (B&W) 15x15 fuel with BPRAs. The NRC

[[Page 13612]]

staff has reviewed the application and determined that storing B&W 
15x15 fuel with BPRAs in the VSC-24 would have minimal impact on the 
design basis and would not be inimical to public health and safety.
    Need for the Proposed Action: ANO has lost full core offload 
reserves in the Unit 1 spent fuel pool. ANO Unit 1 is scheduled for a 
refueling outage in September 1999. Because the 10 CFR Part 72 
rulemaking to amend the COC will not be completed prior to the date 
that ANO needs to begin loading the VSC-24s with fuel containing BPRAs, 
the staff requested Commission approval to grant this exemption based 
on the staff's technical review of information submitted by ANO and 
SNC.
    Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: The potential 
environmental impact of using the VSC-24 system was initially presented 
in the EA for the Final Rule to add the VSC-24 to the list of approved 
spent fuel storage casks in 10 CFR 72.214 (58 FR 17948 (1993)). 
Furthermore, each general licensee must assess the environmental 
impacts of the specific ISFSI in accordance with the requirements of 10 
CFR 72.212(b)(2)(iii). This section requires the general licensee to 
perform written evaluations to demonstrate compliance with the 
environmental requirements of 10 CFR 72.104, ``Criteria for radioactive 
materials in effluents and direct radiation from an ISFSI or MRS 
[Monitored Retrievable Storage Installation].''
    VSC-24s are designed to mitigate the effects of design basis 
accidents that could occur during storage. Design basis accidents 
account for human-induced events and the most severe natural phenomena 
reported for the site and surrounding area. Postulated accidents 
analyzed for an ISFSI include tornado winds and tornado generated 
missiles, design basis earthquake, design basis flood, accidental cask 
drop, lightning effects, fire, explosions, and other incidents.
    Special cask design features include a double-closure welded steel 
multi-assembly sealed basket (MSB) made from SA-516 Gr 70 pressure 
vessel steel to contain the spent fuel. This MSB is up to 181-inches 
long, 62.5 inches in diameter, with 1.0-inch thick walls. The MSB is 
placed inside of a Ventilated Concrete Cask (VCC) and positioned for 
storage on the concrete ISFSI pad. The VCC is up to 213-inches long, 
132 inches in diameter, and 31.75-inches thick. The VCC wall consists 
of a 1.75-inch thick steel inner liner surrounded by reinforced 
concrete and steel ducts for a passive ventilation system.
    Considering the specific design requirements for each accident 
condition, the design of the cask would prevent loss of containment, 
shielding, and criticality control. Without the loss of either 
containment, shielding, or criticality control, the risk to public 
health and safety is not compromised.
    Storage of B&W 15x15 fuel containing BPRAs would increase the 
maximum potential cask dose rates by no more than 13 percent at any 
location on a loaded VSC-24 system. For a VSC-24 loaded with fuel 
containing BPRAs, the highest dose would be found at the top center of 
the cask. This dose was calculated to increase from 30 mrem/hr without 
BPRAs to 32.2 mrem/hr with BPRAs. The occupational exposure is not 
significantly increased and off-site dose rates remain well within the 
10 CFR Part 20 limits. Therefore, the proposed action now under 
consideration would not change the potential environmental effects 
assessed in the initial rulemaking (58 FR 17948).
    Therefore, the staff has determined that there is no reduction in 
the safety margin nor significant environmental impacts as a result of 
storing B&W 15x15 fuel with BPRAs in the VSC-24 system.
    Alternative to the Proposed Action: The staff evaluated other 
alternatives involving removal of the BPRAs from the fuel assemblies 
and found that these alternatives produced a greater occupational 
exposure and an increased environmental impact as a result of handling 
the BPRAs separately as low-level waste. The alternative to the 
proposed action would be to deny approval of the exemption and, 
therefore, require ANO to disassemble and store the BPRAs as low-level 
waste in separate containers.
    Agencies and Persons Consulted: On February 17, 1999, Bernard 
Bevill from the Division of Radiation Control and Emergency Management, 
Arkansas Department of Health, was contacted about the EA for the 
proposed action and had no concerns.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed 
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 51. Based 
upon the foregoing EA, the Commission finds that the proposed action of 
granting an exemption from 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2) and 72.214 so that ANO 
may store B&W 15x15 fuel containing BPRAs in VSC-24s will not 
significantly impact the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, 
the Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental impact 
statement for the proposed exemption.
    For further details with respect to this exemption request, see the 
Entergy exemption request dated January 18, 1999, which is docketed 
under 10 CFR Part 72, Docket No 72-13. The exemption request is 
available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document 
Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20555 and the Local Public 
Document Room located at Tomlinson Library, Arkansas Tech University, 
Russellville, AR, 72801.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day of March 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
E. William Brach,
Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 99-6769 Filed 3-18-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P