[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74260-74262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31577]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-305]


Nuclear Management Company, LLC, Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR-43, 
issued to Nuclear Management Company, LLC (the licensee), for operation 
of the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant, located in Kewaunee County, 
Wisconsin. 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

    The proposed action would revise the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant 
operating license and technical specifications (TSs) to increase the 
licensed rated power by 6.0 percent from 1673 megawatts thermal (MWt) 
to 1772 MWt.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated May 22, 2003.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action permits an increase in the licensed core 
thermal power from 1673 MWt to 1772 MWt for the Kewaunee Nuclear Power 
Plant, providing the flexibility to obtain a higher electrical output 
from the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant with minimal modifications.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The licensee has submitted an environmental evaluation supporting 
the proposed stretch power uprate and provided a summary of its 
conclusions concerning the radiological and non-radiological 
environmental impacts of the proposed action.

Radiological Environmental Assessment

    The stretch power uprate will increase the activity level of 
radioactive isotopes in the primary and secondary coolant. Due to 
leakage or process operations, fractions of these fluids are 
transported to the liquid and gaseous radwaste systems where they are 
processed prior to discharge. As the activity levels in the primary and 
secondary coolant are increased, the activity level of radwaste inputs 
is proportionately increased. Regulatory guidance relative to 
methodology to be utilized to establish whether the radwaste effluent 
releases from a pressurized-water reactor meet the requirements of 10 
CFR part 20 and 10 CFR part 50, appendix I, is provided in NUREG-0017, 
Revision 1. The NUREG-0017 methodology is independent of the length of 
the fuel cycle.
    The maximum expected increase in the reactor coolant source 
(associated with the chemical group with the largest percentage 
increase) is approximately 17.6 percent for noble gas activity. This 
increase is primarily a combination of the impact of core power uprate 
and reduction in reactor coolant system (RCS) mass. Considering the 
accuracy and error bounds of the operational data utilized in NUREG-
0017, this percentage change is well within the uncertainty of the 
existing NUREG-0017-based expected reactor coolant isotopic inventory 
used for radwaste effluent analyses and corrected for a facility with 
this power rating.
    As discussed above, there is approximately a 17.6 percent increase 
assumed for the liquid releases as input activities are based on the 
largest long-term RCS activity increase for any chemical grouping and 
on waste volumes which are essentially independent of power level 
within the applicability range of NUREG-0017. Tritium releases in 
liquid effluents are assumed to increase approximately 11.4 percent 
(corresponding to the effective increase in core power) since the 
facility is changing its power rating, without changing its operational 
procedures. However, for all liquid releases, the power uprate analysis 
conservatively used the worst case scaling factor for all isotopes 
between the pre-uprate case and the uprate case.
    For all noble gases (limiting chemical group), there will be a 
maximum 17.6 percent increase in effluent releases due to the core 
power uprate. Gaseous releases of Kr-85 in actuality will increase by 
approximately 11.4 percent. Isotopes with shorter half lives will have 
increases slightly greater than the percentage increase in power level. 
The decrease in RCS mass (approximately 5 percent) contributes to the 
increased concentration of this chemical group in the RCS (the primary 
removal term for the non-Kr-85 noble gases is decay in the RCS) such 
that the impact of power uprate is conservatively approximated at 17.6 
percent. The impact of the power uprate in iodine releases is 
approximated by the power level increase. The other components of the 
gaseous release (that is, particulates via the building ventilation 
systems and

[[Page 74261]]

water activation gases) are not impacted by the power uprate using the 
methodology outlined in NUREG-0017. Tritium releases in the gaseous 
effluents increase in proportion to the increased tritium production, 
which is directly related to core power and is pathway allocated in the 
analysis in the same ratio as pre-power uprate releases. For 
particulates, the methodology of NUREG-0017 specifies the release rate 
per year per unit per building ventilation system. This is not 
dependent on power level. Thus, there is no change calculated for the 
power uprate. However, a 17.6 percent increase will be conservatively 
addressed.
    The maximum increase in doses for gaseous and liquid effluents is 
estimated to be 17.6 percent. The estimated doses are a very small 
fraction of that allowable under appendix I.
    Only minor, if any, changes in waste generation volume are 
expected. However, it is expected that the activity levels for most of 
the solid waste would increase proportionately to the increase in long 
half life coolant activity. Thus, while the total longlived activity 
contained in the waste is expected to be bounded by the percentage of 
the power uprate, the increase in the overall volume of waste 
generation resulting from the power uprate is expected to be minor.
    The licensee stated that the power uprate has no significant impact 
on the expected annual radwaste effluent releases or doses (that is, 
all doses remain a small percentage of allowable Appendix I doses). The 
licensee concluded that following the power uprate, the liquid and 
gaseous radwaste effluent treatment system will remain capable of 
maintaining normal operation offsite doses within the requirements of 
10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I.

Dose Consideration

    The stretch power uprate will impact the radiation source terms in 
the core and the expected radiation source terms in the coolant. The 
actual increase in radiation levels due to the power uprate will not 
significantly affect radiation zoning or shielding requirements in the 
various areas of the plant because it is expected that the increase due 
to the power uprate will be offset by (1) the conservative analytical 
techniques typically used to establish shielding requirements, (2) the 
conservatism in the pre-power uprate design-basis RCS source terms used 
to establish the radiation zones, and (3) the plant TSs that limit the 
RCS concentrations to levels well below the design-basis source terms. 
Individual worker exposures will be maintained within acceptable limits 
by the site as-low-as-is-reasonably-achievable program that controls 
access to radiation areas. The licensee stated that the stretch power 
uprate has no significant effect on normal plant operation radiation 
zones and shielding requirements.
    Following the power uprate, the licensee stated that the post-LOCA 
vital area operator dose estimates will remain within the regulatory 
limits of NUREG-0578, Item 2.1.6.b and NUREG-0737 II.B.2 and II.B.3.

Non-Radiological Environmental Assessment

    The licensee assessment included determining whether the power 
uprate will cause the plant to exceed the National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) permits' effluent discharge limitations and 
other conditions associated with operation of the plant. This review is 
based upon information contained in the State of Wisconsin, Department 
of Natural Resources (WDNR), WPDES Permit No. WI-0001571-06-0 and the 
Final Environmental Statement for the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant. The 
WPDES permit was effective beginning on August 1, 2002, and expires 
June 30, 2005. The licensee stated that there are no requirements in 
the NPDES Permit impacted by the power uprate. Circulating water outlet 
temperature rise increases by approximately 1.5 [deg]F due to the power 
uprate. The total temperature rise across the condenser would be 16.7 
[deg]F. No change in the circulating water flow is required due to the 
power uprate. The 1.5 [deg]F increase in the circulating water outlet 
temperature rise is acceptable because it is within the licensee's 
WPDES Permit No. WI-0001571-06-0.

Summary

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed action.
    The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability 
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of 
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 have a potential to affect any historic sites. It has a 
small affect on 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 resource than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for 
the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant, dated December 1972.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On November 4, 2003, the staff consulted with the Wisconsin State 
official, Jeff Kitzembul of the Public Service Commission--Electric 
Division, 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 May 22, 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 O1 F21, 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 by telephone at 1-800-

[[Page 74262]]

397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of December 2003.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
L. Raghavan,
Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing 
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 03-31577 Filed 12-22-03; 8:45 am]
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