[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 29, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71129-71130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30433]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-390]


Tennessee Valley Authority; Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to the Facility Operating License (FOL) issued 
to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, licensee) for operation of the 
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 (WBN). The facility is located at the 
licensee's site on the west branch of the Tennessee River approximately 
50 miles northeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of Proposed Action

    The proposed license amendment would allow the licensee to increase 
the licensed thermal power level of WBN, Unit 1, from 3411 to 3459 
megawatts thermal (MWt), which represents a 1.4 percent increase in the 
allowable thermal power. This facility was authorized for power 
production at 3411 MWt with issuance of the FOL on February 7, 1996.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application for license amendment dated June 7, as supplemented by 
letters dated June 23, August 24, September 26, October 6, October 27 
and November 16, 2000.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action will allow an increase in power generation at 
WBN to provide additional electrical power for distribution to the 
grid. Power uprate has been widely recognized by the industry as a safe 
and cost-effective method to increase generating capacity.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The Commission has previously evaluated the environmental impact of 
operation of WBN, as described in the ``Final Environmental Statement 
Related to the Operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2,'' 
NUREG-0498, December 1978 and its Supplement 1, April 1995. With regard 
to consequences of postulated accidents, the licensee has reanalyzed 
the design-basis accident doses for the exclusion area boundary, low 
population zone, and the control room dose to the operators and 
determined that there will be a small increase in these doses; however, 
the analysis presented in NUREG-0498 postulates these doses resulting 
from releases at 104.5 percent of the currently licensed power level. 
Thus, the increase in postulated doses due to design-basis accidents is 
bounded by the previous evaluation presented in NUREG-0498. No increase 
in the probability of these accidents is expected to occur.
    With regard to normal releases, calculations have been performed 
that show the potential impact on the radiological effluents from the 
proposed 1.4 percent increase in power level of WBN. For the 1.4 
percent uprating calculation, the offsite doses from normal effluent 
releases remain significantly below the bounding limits of Title 10 of 
the Code of Federal Regulation (10 CFR), Part 50, Appendix I. Normal 
annual average gaseous releases remain limited to a small fraction of 
10 CFR Part 20 limits for identified mixtures. Solid and liquid waste 
processing systems are expected to operate within their design 
requirements. More frequent operation of these systems may lead to a 
slight increase in solid and liquid waste production.
    The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that the proposed action will

[[Page 71130]]

not increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes 
are being made in the types of any effluents that may be released off 
site, and there is no significant increase in occupational or public 
radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not involve any historic sites. With regard to thermal 
discharges to the Chickamauga Reservoir on the Tennessee River, a small 
increase in the upstream to downstream temperature rise allowed by the 
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the 
Tennessee River is expected, due to the proposed 1.4 percent power 
uprate. The increase is expected to be approximately 0.1 degrees 
Fahrenheit, and therefore, insignificant. Existing administrative 
controls ensure the conduct of adequate monitoring such that 
appropriate actions can be taken to preclude exceeding NPDES permitted 
limits. No additional monitoring requirements or other changes relative 
to the NPDES permit are required as a result of the power uprate.
    Therefore, as described in the preceding discussions, the 1.4 
percent uprate of WBN does not have a significant environmental impact 
on the Chickamauga Reservoir.
    No other nonradiological impacts are associated with the proposed 
action.
    Based upon the above, the Commission concludes that the proposed 
action does not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other 
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant 
nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
action.
    Accordingly, the Commission 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. 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 resources not previously 
considered in the FES for Watts Bar.

Agencies and Persons Contacted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on November 20, 2000, the 
staff consulted with the Tennessee State Official, Mr. J. Graves, 
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State 
official had no comments.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes 
that this 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 this action.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the licensee's 
application for license amendment dated June 7, 2000, as supplemented 
June 23, August 24, September 26, October 6, October 27 and November 
16, 2000. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the 
NRC's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly 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 21st day of November 2000.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kahtan N. Jabbour,
Acting Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of Licensing 
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 00-30433 Filed 11-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P