[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 178 (Friday, September 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52585-52586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-18141]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. STN 50-456 and STN 50-457]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC, Braidwood Station, Units 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, section 46, and Appendix K to section 50,
for Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-72 and NPF-77, issued to Exelon
Generation Company, LLC (the licensee), for operation of the Braidwood
Station (Braidwood), Units 1 and 2 located in Will County, Illinois.
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 allow the use of AREVA NP Inc. (AREVA)
modified Advanced Mark-BW fuel assemblies.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated September 26, 2006, as supplemented by letter dated
August 8, 2007.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action would allow up to eight AREVA modified Advanced
Mark-BW fuel assemblies to be placed in nonlimiting Braidwood, Unit 1
core locations. Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, ``Specific Exemptions,'' the
licensee has requested an exemption to 10 CFR 50.46, ``acceptance
criteria for emergency core cooling systems for light-water nuclear
power reactors,'' that requires, among other items, that ``each boiling
or pressurized light-water nuclear power reactor fueled with uranium
oxide pellets within cylindrical zircaloy or ZIRLO cladding, must be
provided with an emergency core cooling system (ECCS) that must be
designed so that its calculated cooling performance following
postulated loss-of-coolant accidents conforms to the criteria set forth
in paragraph (b) of this section.'' Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50,
``ECCS Evaluation Models,'' requires, among other items, that the rate
of energy release, hydrogen generation, and cladding oxidation from the
metal/water reaction shall be calculated using the Baker-Just equation.
The regulation at 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. The licensee will irradiate eight assemblies using fuel rods
clad with AREVA's M5 alloy in Braidwood, Unit 1. Since the material
specifications of the M5 alloy differ from the specification for
zircaloy or ZIRLO, a plant-specific exemption is required to support
the use of the eight assemblies.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action
and concludes that application of 10 CFR 50.46, and Appendix K to 10
CFR 50, is not necessary for the licensee to achieve its underlying
purposes.
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. 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 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 resources than
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for
Braidwoood NUREG-1026, dated June 1984.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on August 29, 2007, the NRC
staff consulted with the Illinois State official, Mr. Frank Niziolek of
the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, 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 September 26, 2006, as supplemented by letter
dated August 8, 2007. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a
fee, at the NRC's
[[Page 52586]]
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 send an e-mail to
[email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day of September, 2007.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert F. Kuntz,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-2. Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing. Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E7-18141 Filed 9-13-07; 8:45 am]
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