[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43462-43463]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-3995]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-261]
Carolina Power And Light Company, H. B. Robinson Steam Electric
Plant, Unit No. 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is
considering issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) part 50, section 68, ``Criticality
Accident Requirements,'' subsection (b)(1) for Facility Operating
[[Page 43463]]
License No. DPR-23 issued to the Carolina Power and Light Company (the
licensee) for operation of the H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit
No. 2 (HBRSEP2) located in Darlington County, South Carolina. The NRC
is issuing this environmental assessment pursuant to 10 CFR 51.21 and
is making a finding of no significant impact (FONSI).
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would exempt the licensee from the requirements
of 10 CFR 50.68, ``Criticality Accident Requirements,'' subsection
(b)(1) during the spent fuel pool activities related to the underwater
handling, loading, and unloading of the dry shielded canister (DSC)
NUHOMS -24PTH as described in proposed Amendment No. 8 to Certificate
of Compliance No. 1004 listed in 10 CFR 72.214. The proposed action is
in accordance with the licensee's application dated February 22, 2005,
as supplemented on May 10 and July 6, 2005.
The Need for the Proposed Action
In 10 CFR 50.68(b)(1), the Commission sets forth the following
requirement that must be met in lieu of a monitoring system capable of
detecting criticality events:
Plant procedures shall prohibit the handling and storage at any
one time of more fuel assemblies than have been determined to be
safely subcritical under the most adverse moderation conditions
feasible by unborated water.
Section 50.12(a) of 10 CFR allows licensees to request an exemption
from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 if the application of the
regulation is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of the
rule and special conditions are met. The licensee stated that
compliance with 10 CFR 50.68(b)(1) is not necessary for underwater
handling, loading, and unloading of the DSC NUHOMS-24PTH in the HBRSEP2
spent fuel pool to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule. The NRC
has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.68(b)(1) will still
be satisfied if the exemption is granted. 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 the licensee approving the exemption
to the regulation.
Environmental Impacts of 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. There is no significant
increase in the amount of any effluent released off site. There is no
significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure.
Therefore, there are no significant radiological 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 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 for
HBRSEP2 dated April 1975, and the Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (NUREG-1437 Supplement 13) dated December 2003.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On July 11, 2005, the staff consulted with the South Carolina State
official, Mr. Michael Gandy of the South Carolina Department of Health,
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 set forth above, the
NRC concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant
effect on the quality of the human environment and is therefore issuing
this FONSI. 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 letters dated February 22, May 10, and July 6, 2005.
Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 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 send an e-mail to
[email protected].
Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of July, 2005.
For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Chandu P. Patel,
Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5-3995 Filed 7-26-05; 8:45 am]
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