[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 240 (Monday, December 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69728-69729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30860]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-335]


Florida Power and Light Company; St. Lucie Plant, Unit No. 1, 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.d for 
Facility Operating License No. DPR-67, issued to Florida Power and 
Light Company (the licensee), for operation of the St. Lucie Plant, 
Unit No. 1, located in St. Lucie County, Florida. Therefore, as 
required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this environmental 
assessment and finding of no significant impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    Pursuant to 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.d, cables 
and equipment and associated nonsafety circuits of redundant trains 
located inside noninerted containments are required to be separated by 
a horizontal distance of more than 20 feet with no intervening 
combustibles or fire hazards. The proposed action would allow a minimum 
horizontal separation of 7 feet between redundant cable trays with no 
intervening combustibles in the containment annular region between 
column lines 2 and 6.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated October 4, 2000, as supplemented by letters dated 
June 28, 2001, November 29, 2001, May 15, 2002 and October 22, 2002.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    On February 21, 1985, the NRC staff approved an exemption from 10 
CFR part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.d, to allow cables of 
redundant trains inside the St. Lucie Unit 1 containment building to be 
located less than 20 feet

[[Page 69729]]

apart horizontally. On March 5, 1987, the NRC staff approved a revision 
to this exemption to allow minimal intermittent combustibles between 
the redundant trains. The staff approved the exemptions based, in part, 
on the redundant trains being separated by more than 7 feet 
horizontally and 25 feet vertically. The licensee subsequently 
determined that the assumption of 25 feet vertical separation was 
incorrect. The proposed action would revise the exemption to eliminate 
the vertical separation assumption. The licensee provided a fire hazard 
assessment utilizing a detailed fire model to demonstrate that, with 
the existing vertical separation and a minimum of 7 feet horizontal 
separation, a fire in one train will not damage the redundant train. 
The revised request limits the exemption to the cable trays in the 
containment annular region between radial column lines 2 and 6 and 
permits no intervening combustibles.
    In summary, the exemption would be revised to allow separation of 
cables of redundant trains by a horizontal distance of at least 7 feet 
with no intervening combustibles inside containment in the annular 
region between radial column lines 2 and 6.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation and concludes, as set forth 
below, that there are no significant environmental impacts associated 
with the proposed exemption. The details of the staff's safety 
evaluation will be provided with the exemption when it is issued by the 
NRC.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, there are no significant changes in the 
types or significant increase in the quantities of effluents that may 
be released offsite, and there is no significant increase in 
occupational or public radiation exposure.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It 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 NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Environmental Impacts of the 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

    The action does not involve the use of any different resources than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement 
related to the St. Lucie Plant Unit 1, dated June 1973 and Supplement 
11 to NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License 
Renewal of Nuclear Plants Regarding St. Lucie, Units 1 and 2,'' dated 
May 2003.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On November 3, 2003, the staff consulted with the Florida State 
official, Mr. William Passetti of the Department of Health, Bureau of 
Radiation Control, 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 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 October 23, 2002, as supplemented on August 28, 
2003. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's 
Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public 
File Area O1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, 
Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically 
from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) 
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have 
access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents 
located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff at 1-800-
397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of December 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Allen G. Howe,
Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of Licensing Project 
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 03-30860 Filed 12-12-03; 8:45 am]
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