[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 37 (Thursday, February 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9301-9303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4356]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-361 and 50-362]


Southern California Edison; San Onofre Nuclear Generating 
Station, Unit Nos. 2 and 3 Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating Licenses Nos. NPF-10 and 
NPF-15, issued to Southern California Edison Company (the licensee), 
for operation of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), 
Units Nos. 2 and 3, located in San Diego County, California.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    SONGS Units 2 and 3 are currently licensed to operate 40 years 
commencing with the issuance of their construction permits on October 
18, 1973. At present, the operating licenses (OLs) for both units 
expire on October 18, 2013. The licensee seeks an extension of the 
license term for SONGS Units 2 and 3 to allow them to operate until 40 
years from the issuance of their respective OLs. SONGS Units 2 and 3 
OLs were issued on February 16, 1982, and November 15, 1982, 
respectively. The proposed change would extend the license terms for 
SONGS Unit 2, to February 16, 2022, and for SONGS Unit 3, to November 
15, 2022. This action would extend the period of operation to the full 
40 years provided by the Atomic Energy Act and the Code of Federal 
Regulations.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for license amendments dated December 13, 1999.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow the licensee to operate SONGS Units 
2 and 3 for 40 years from the date of issuance of their operating 
licenses. This extension would permit the units to operate for the full 
40-year design-basis lifetime, consistent with the Commission policy 
stated in Memorandum dated August 16, 1982, from William Dircks, 
Executive Director for Operations, to the Commissioners, and as 
evidenced by the issuance of over 50 such extensions to other 
licensees.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the extension of SONGS' Units 2 and 3 Operating Licenses 
Nos. NPF-10 and NPF-15 would not create any new or unreviewed 
environmental impacts. This change does not involve any physical 
modifications to the facilities, and there are no new or unreviewed 
environmental impacts that were not considered as part of the Final 
Environmental Statement (FES) dated March 1973 relating to operation of 
SONGS Units 2 and 3. Evaluations for the FES considered a 40-year 
operating life. The considerations involved in the NRC staff's 
determination are discussed below.

Radiological Impacts of the Hypothetical Design-Basis Accidents

    The offsite exposure from releases during postulated accidents were 
evaluated and found acceptable during the operating license stage and 
subsequent license amendments. This type of evaluation involves four 
issues: (1) Type and probability of postulated accidents, (2) the 
radioactivity releases calculated for each accident, (3) the assumed 
meteorological conditions, and (4) population size and distribution in 
the vicinity of the facility. The staff has concluded that neither the 
type and probability of postulated accidents nor the radioactivity 
releases calculated for each accident would change through the proposed 
extended operation. Also, the meteorological conditions are not 
expected to change during the proposed extended operation and, 
therefore, any further consideration is not warranted. Thus the 
population size and distribution in the vicinity of the facility are 
the only time-dependent parameters that require consideration. The 
consequences of design-basis accidents are determined in terms of the 
resulting exposure to the general public. The population data listed in 
the SONGS Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) were taken from 
the 1980 U. S. Census. The licensee compared the projected population 
data in the UFSAR within a 10-mile radius with the 1990 Federal census 
data and concluded that the census data is bounded by the UFSAR 
projection data for that same year. Based on this comparison, the 
licensee expects this trend to continue and concludes that the 
population for the period of 2013 through 2022 should be lower than 
originally projected. Therefore, cumulative exposure to the general 
public due to a design-basis accident would not be adversely affected. 
Further, there are no changes to the current exclusion area, low 
population zone, and nearest population center distance, and the 
licensee will continue to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 100.11(a) for 
the proposed license term extension. Also, there is no expected change 
in land usage during the license terms that would affect offsite dose 
calculations. Accordingly, the staff concludes that the proposed action 
will not significantly change previous conclusions regarding the 
potential environmental effects of offsite releases from postulated 
accident conditions.

Radiological Impacts of Annual Releases

Onsite Doses
    In accordance with the plant Technical Specifications (TSs), the 
licensee has established several radiation monitoring programs 
including a program to maintain radiation doses ``As Low As Reasonably 
Achievable (ALARA)'' guidelines (10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I 
guidelines). On an annual basis, the licensee submits an Occupational 
Radiation Exposure Report to the NRC. The SONGS Units 2 and 3 
occupational radiation exposure per unit for the last 4 years has been:

1995 227 person-rem
1996 64 person-rem
1997 170 person-rem
1998 98 person-rem

The data indicate declining trend in the collective occupational 
exposure at SONGS. The 5-year annual average collective occupational 
exposure per reactor has dropped from about 250 person-rem/year in 1990 
to about 125 person-rem/year in 1998. Through continued implementation 
of ALARA and other programs, the licensee expects to maintain its 
collective occupational exposure per units for SONGS Units 2 and 3 for 
the period of 2013 to 2022 to an average of 125 person-rem per year. 
Based on its review of historical radiation exposure data at SONGS and 
the licensee's continued implementation of ALARA, the staff concludes 
that the projected occupational exposures through the proposed extended 
period will continue to remain significantly below the UFSAR estimate 
(411 person-rem per unit).
Offsite Doses
    Appendix I guidelines on ALARA discussed above as they relate to 
onsite doses also apply to releases that could cause offsite doses. The 
Appendix I guidelines establish radioactive design/dose objectives for 
liquid and gaseous offsite releases including iodine particulate 
radionuclides. In addition, routine releases to the environment are 
governed by 10 CFR Part 20, which states that such releases should be

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ALARA. Each year, the licensee submits an ``Annual Radioactive Effluent 
Release Report'' that provides an annual assessment of the radiation 
dose as a result of effluents released from the facility. These reports 
show that release of radioactive liquids and gases have historically 
been lower than those estimated in the FES. As a result of the 
continued implementation of the ALARA program, occupational exposures 
can be expected to remain lower than the FES estimates.
    In accordance with plant TSs, the licensee has an established 
Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program by which the licensee 
monitors the effect of operation of its facilities on the environment. 
This is accomplished by continuously measuring radiation levels and 
airborne radioactivity levels and periodically measuring amounts of 
radioactivity in samples at various locations surrounding the plants. 
Continued environmental monitoring and surveillance under the program 
ensures early detection of any increase in exposures over the proposed 
license term extension.
    Accordingly, the staff concludes that the radiological impact on 
the public due to the proposed license term extension would not 
increase over that previously evaluated in the FES and the occupational 
exposures will be consistent with the industry average and in 
accordance with 10 CFR Part 20.
    The curie content of radioactive solid waste shipped from SONGS has 
historically been less than the FES estimates and is expected to remain 
so.
    Based on the conservative population estimate in the FES and low 
radiological exposure from plant releases during normal operation and 
postulated accidents, and the environmental monitoring program, the 
staff concludes that the radiological impact on the public due to the 
proposed action would be insignificant and the conclusions of the FES 
remain valid.

Environmental Impact of the Uranium Fuel Cycle

    At present, SONGS Units 2 and 3 are licensed to store fuel with 
enrichments up to 4.8 weight percent uranium-235 (U-235). As part of 
its safety evaluation associated with this 4.8 weight percent U-235 
fuel enrichment, the staff previously evaluated the environmental 
impacts of transportation of effects resulting from the use of higher 
enrichment and extended radiation. In its Environmental Assessment 
dated September 26, 1996 (61 FR 50513), the staff concluded that the 
environmental impact of extended fuel irradiation up to 60,000 
megawatt-days per metric ton uranium (MWD/MTU) and increased enrichment 
up to 5 weight percent are bounded by the impacts reported in Table S-4 
of 10 CFR 51.52.
    The total projected number of fuel cycles before the current OL 
expiration date (October 18, 2013) is 17 for Units 2 and 3. Based on 
current cycle lengths, the proposed extended operating license term 
will increase the number of complete fuel cycles by approximately 4 in 
each unit to a total of 21. At present, the licensed capacity of the 
spent fuel pool (SFP) for each unit is 1542 fuel assemblies. The 
licensee-projected total number of spent fuel assemblies including a 
full core discharge for Units 2 and 3 for a 40-year operating life will 
be between 2217 and 2317 which is higher than the licensed SFP 
capacity. To store the additional fuel assemblies, the licensee is 
evaluating the use of dry storage and fuel rod consolidation as 
alternative storage methods for SONGS Units 2 and 3 spent fuel and will 
seek necessary regulatory approval.
    Based on the above, the staff concludes that there are no 
significant changes in the environmental impact related to the uranium 
fuel cycle due to the proposed extended operation of SONGS Units 2 and 
3.

Nonradiological Impacts

    The major nonradiological impact of the plant on the environment is 
the operation of the plant's cooling water system and discharge to the 
Pacific Ocean. The California Regional Water Quality Control Board (the 
Board) has reviewed and considered the environmental impacts of the 
SONGS units' water discharge into the Pacific Ocean in its issuance of 
the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and 
renewals. The NPDES permit is conditional upon the discharges complying 
with provisions of the Board and of the Clean Water Act (as amended or 
as supplemented by implementing guidelines and regulations). On April 
11, 1999, the Board adopted and renewed NPDES permits to SONGS Units 2 
and 3 until August 11, 2004. The Board found that discharges from SONGS 
Units 2 and 3 are consistent with its policy with respect to 
maintaining high quality waters in California. The licensee will 
continue to abide by the NPDES permits and, accordingly, expects the 
Board to renew and issue NPDES permits every 5 years. Also, the 
proposed action does not involve any historic sites. Therefore, the NRC 
concludes that there are no significant nonradiological environmental 
impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no action'' alternative). 
Denial of the application would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. Continued operation of SONGS Units 2 and 3 would 
avert potential nonradiological environmental effects of greenhouse 
gases and other airborne effluents from non-nuclear plants that would 
be required to operate in order to replace the power supplied by the 
SONGS units.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the FES for the SONGS Units 2 and 3.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on February 8, 2000, the 
staff consulted with the California State official, Mr. Steven Hsu, 
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State 
official had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The NRC stated in its proposed no significant hazards consideration 
determination dated December 29, 1999 (64 FR 73098), that the 
licensee's proposed extension to the operating license term is 
consistent with the current NRC policy and the originally engineered 
design life of the plant, i.e., 40 years of operation. Due to design 
conservatism, maintenance, and surveillance programs and the plant TSs, 
the proposed additional years of operation would have no significant 
impact on safety. That is, regardless of the age of the facility, the 
above-mentioned programs and TSs would ensure that systems, structures, 
and components will be refurbished or replaced to maintain their 
required safety function over the 40 years of operation. On the basis 
of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes that the proposed 
action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human 
environment. Accordingly, the NRC 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 December 13, 1999, which is available for 
public inspection at the

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Commission's Public Document Room, The Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, 
NW., Washington, DC. Publically available records will be accessible 
electronically from the ADAMS Public Library Component on the NRC Web 
site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Electronic Reading Room).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of February 2000.

    For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
L. Raghavan,
Senior Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate IV & 
Decommissioning Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of 
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 00-4356 Filed 2-23-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P