[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 43 (Monday, March 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11034-11035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4312]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-325 and 50-324]
Carolina Power & Light Company, Brunswick Steam Electric Plant,
Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact
Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J for Facility
Operating Licenses Nos. DPR-71 and DPR-62 issued to the Carolina Power
& Light Company (the licensee, also doing business as Progress Energy
Carolinas, Inc.) for operation of the Brunswick Steam Electric Plant,
Unit Nos. 1 and 2 located in Brunswick County, North Carolina.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would exempt the licensee from requirements to
include main steam isolation valve (MSIV) leakage in the overall
integrated leakage rate test measurement required by Section III.A of
Appendix J, Option B.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated October 6, 2004, for exemption from certain
requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
Part 50, Appendix J.
The Need for the Proposed Action
Section 50.54(o) of 10 CFR Part 50 requires that primary reactor
containments for water-cooled power reactors be subject to the
requirements of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50. Appendix J specifies the
leakage test requirements, schedules, and acceptance criteria for tests
of the leaktight integrity of the primary reactor containment and
systems and components that penetrate the containment. Option B,
Section III.A requires that the overall integrated leak rate must not
exceed the allowable leakage (La) with margin, as specified in the
Technical Specifications (TS). The overall integrated leak rate, as
specified in the 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J definitions, includes the
contribution from MSIV leakage. By letter dated October 6, 2004, the
licensee has requested an exemption from Option B, Section III.A
requirements to permit exclusion of MSIV leakage from the overall
integrated leak rate test measurement.
The above-cited requirement of Appendix J requires that MSIV
leakage measurements be grouped with the leakage measurements of other
containment penetrations when containment leakage tests are performed.
These requirements are inconsistent with the design of the Brunswick
facilities and the analytical models used to calculate the radiological
consequences of design-basis accidents. At Brunswick and similar
facilities, the leakage from primary containment penetrations under
accident conditions is collected and treated by the secondary
containment system or would bypass the secondary containment. However,
the leakage from MSIVs is collected and treated via an Alternative
Leakage Treatment (ALT) path having different mitigation
characteristics. In performing accident analyses, it is appropriate to
group various leakage effluents according to the treatment they receive
before being released to the environment, i.e., bypass leakage is
grouped, leakage into secondary containment is grouped, and ALT leakage
is grouped, with specific limits for each group defined in the TS. The
proposed exemption would permit ALT path leakage to be independently
grouped with its unique leakage limits.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability
or consequences of accidents. The NRC staff has completed its
evaluation of the
[[Page 11035]]
proposed action and finds that the proposed exemption involves no
increase in the total amount of radioactive effluent that may be
released off site in the event of a design-basis accident. Therefore,
the calculated doses remain within the acceptance criteria of 10 CFR
Part 100 and Standard Review Plan Section 15, and there is no
significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. The
NRC staff thus concludes that granting the proposed exemption would
result in no significant radiological environmental impact.
The proposed action does not affect non-radiological plant
effluents or historical sites and has no other environmental impact.
Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological impacts associated
with the proposed exemption.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Alternative 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 exemption 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 any resources not
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement dated
January 1974 for the Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on March 1, 2005, the NRC
staff consulted with the North Carolina State official, Ms. Wendy
Tingle of the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural
Resources, Division of Radiation Protection, regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed action. Ms. Tingle 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 6, 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 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 by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-
4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of February, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Brenda L. Mozafari,
Senior Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 05-4312 Filed 3-4-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P