[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 205 (Monday, October 25, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62307-62308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-23790]
[[Page 62307]]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-263]
Nuclear Management Company, LLC; Monticello Nuclear Generating
Plant, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from the requirements of title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.b
for Facility Operating License No. DPR-22, issued to Nuclear Management
Company, LLC (NMC), for operation of the Monticello Nuclear Generating
Plant (MNGP), located in Wright County, Minnesota. 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 authorize a permanent exemption from the
requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.b, as it
applies to Fire Area IX/Fire Zone 23A, the intake structure pump room
at MNGP. The proposed action is in accordance with NMC's exemption
request of November 17, 2003, as supplemented July 16, 2004.
The Need for the Proposed Action
NMC requested this exemption from the requirement to separate
cables and equipment and associated non-safety circuits of redundant
trains by a horizontal distance of more than 20 feet with no
intervening combustibles or fire hazards. NMC indicated that although
redundant safe shutdown components and cables within this fire zone are
separated by more than 20 feet, permanent intervening combustibles or
fire hazards exist within the separating space.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff reviewed NMC's exemption request and will issue a
safety evaluation documenting its review. The NRC staff analyzed the
following items in the intake structure pump room at MNGP to satisfy
the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12 for granting the exemption from the
automatic suppression system requirements of Appendix R, Section
III.G.2.b:
Safe shutdown equipment.
Fixed and transient combustibles.
Chemical hazards.
Existing fire protection features.
Intervening combustibles.
Impact of Regulatory Issue Summary 2004-03, ``Risk-
Informed Approach for Post-Fire Safe-Shutdown Associated Circuit
Inspections,'' dated March 2, 2004.
The following attributes of the intake structure pump room at MNGP
supported the NRC staff's basis for approval of the requested
exemption:
Greater than 20 feet of separation exists between
redundant safe shutdown components and cables.
Early-warning ionization detection, installed above the
residual heat removal service water (SW) and SW pumps, provides an
alarm to the control room.
Activation of the pre-action valve via the thermal
detectors results in a ``system actuated'' signal to the control room.
Transient combustibles and hot work in the area are
administratively controlled.
The fire load in the zone satisfies the criteria for a low
fire load designation.
The NRC staff concluded that the requested exemption for Fire Area
IX/Fire Zone 23A provided reasonable assurance that one train of
redundant safe shutdown equipment would remain free of fire damage.
This is the equivalent of meeting the requirements of 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix R, Section III.G.2.b, since the underlying purpose of Section
III.G.2.b is to assure that one train of redundant safe shutdown
equipment will be maintained free of fire damage.
The details of the NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided
in the exemption that will be issued as part of the letter to NMC
approving the exemption to the regulation.
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. There is no significant
increase in the amount of effluent being released offsite. 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 non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does
not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-
radiological 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
Monticello dated November 1972.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On October 15, 2004, the staff consulted with the Minnesota State
official, Nancy Campbell of the Department of Commerce, 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 NMC's
exemption request of November 17, 2003, as supplemented July 16, 2004.
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-
800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of October 2004.
[[Page 62308]]
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. 04-23790 Filed 10-22-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P