[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]
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