[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 213 (Friday, November 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64747-64748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18594]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket NOS. 50-317 AND 50-318]


Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50.46 and Appendix K to Part 50 for Renewed 
Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-53 and DPR-69, issued to Calvert 
Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Inc. (the licensee), for operation of the 
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (Calvert Cliffs 1 
and 2), located in Calvert County, Maryland. 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 exemption would allow the licensee to use up to four 
lead fuel assemblies (LFAs) containing a limited number of fuel rods 
with cladding other than Zircaloy or ZIRLO in the core of either 
Calvert Cliffs 1 or 2. Two of the

[[Page 64748]]

LFAs were manufactured by Westinghouse Electric Company and contain a 
limited number of fuel rods clad with advanced zirconium-based alloys. 
The other two LFAs were manufactured by Framatome ANP, Inc. with fuel 
rod cladding material as M5 alloy. These LFAs were originally inserted 
into the Calvert Cliffs 2 core in April of 2003 (operating cycles 15 
and 16).
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated January 19, 2006.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    10 CFR 50.46 and 10 CFR part 50, Appendix K make no provisions for 
use of fuel rods clad in a material other than Zircaloy or ZIRLO. Since 
the material specifications of the advanced zirconium-based and M5 
alloys differ from the specification for Zircaloy or ZIRLO, a plant-
specific exemption is required to support the use of the four LFAs for 
either Calvert Cliffs 1 or 2. If the exemption were not approved, the 
licensee would not gain practical experience of these designs relative 
to grid-to-rod fretting.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that the exemption described above would continue to 
satisfy the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.46 and 10 CFR Part 50, 
Appendix K and will not present an undue risk to the public health and 
safety. The safety evaluations performed by Westinghouse and Framatome 
ANP demonstrate that the predicted chemical, mechanical, and material 
performance of the advanced zirconium and M5 cladding are acceptable 
under all anticipated operational occurrences and postulated accidents. 
Furthermore, the LFAs will be placed in non-limiting core locations 
(low duty locations on the core periphery). In the event that the 
cladding failures occur in the LFAs, the environmental impact would be 
minimal and is bound by the previous environmental assessments.
    The details of the 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.
    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 does 
not affect 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 resources than 
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for 
Calvert Cliffs 1 and 2, dated April 1973, and the Generic Environmental 
Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Calvert Cliffs 
Nuclear Power Plant (NUREG-1437, Supplement 1), dated October 1999.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on October 27, 2006, the 
staff consulted with the Maryland State official, Mr. R. McLean of the 
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 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 January 19, 2006. 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 
by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or send an e-mail to 
[email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of October 2006.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick D. Milano,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I-1, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
 [FR Doc. E6-18594 Filed 11-2-06; 8:45 am]
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