[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 47 (Monday, March 10, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12779-12780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4691]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-368]
Entergy Operations, Inc.; Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 2;
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from Section 50.46 of Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K, for
Facility Operating License No. NPF-6, issued to Entergy Operations,
Inc. (Entergy, the licensee), for operation of the Arkansas Nuclear
One, Unit 2 (ANO-2), located in Pope County, Arkansas. 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 ANO-2 to use Optimized
ZIRLOTM, an advanced alloy fuel cladding material for
pressurized-water reactors.
[[Page 12780]]
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated April 24, 2007 (Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML071220267).
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed so that Entergy can use Optimized
ZIRLO\TM\, an advanced alloy for fuel rod cladding and other assembly
structural components at the ANO-2.
Section 50.46 of 10 CFR 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 chemical composition of the Optimized ZIRLO\TM\
alloy differs from the specifications for zircaloy or ZIRLO, a plant-
specific exemption is required to allow the use of the Optimized
ZIRLO\TM\ alloy as a cladding material or in other assembly structural
components at the ANO-2.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The underlying purposes of 10 CFR 50.46 and 10 CFR Part 50,
Appendix K, are to ensure that facilities have adequate acceptance
criteria for the emergency core cooling system (ECCS), and to ensure
that cladding oxidation and hydrogen generation are appropriately
limited during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and conservatively
accounted for in the ECCS evaluation model, respectively. Neither 10
CFR 50.46 nor 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K, explicitly allows the use of
Optimized ZIRLO\TM\ as a fuel rod cladding material or for other
assembly structural components. Topical Report WCAP-12610-P-A and
CENPD-404-P-A, Addendum 1-A, ``Optimized ZIRLO\TM\,'' which was
approved by the NRC in July 2006 (ADAMS Accession No. ML062080569),
demonstrated that the effectiveness of the ECCS will not be affected by
a change from zircaloy to Optimized ZIRLOTM. In addition, as
a condition for the approval of WCAP-12610-P-A and CENPD-404-P-A,
Addendum 1-A, additional data was provided by Westinghouse by letters
dated January 4, and November 6, 2007, and February 5, 2008, that
demonstrated that the Baker-Just equation (used in the ECCS evaluation
model to determine the rate of energy release, cladding oxidation, and
hydrogen generation) is conservative in all post-LOCA scenarios with
respect to Optimized ZIRLO\TM\ advanced alloy as a fuel rod cladding
material or in other assembly structural components. The licensee
currently uses and will continue to use NRC-approved methods for the
reload design process for ANO-2 reloads with Optimized ZIRLO\TM\.
If the exemption is issued details of the staff's safety evaluation
will be provided in the exemption.
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
the ANO-2 dated June 16, 1977.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on January 27, 2008, the
staff consulted with the Arkansas State official, Mr. Bernard Beville
of the Department of Radiation Control, 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 April 24, 2007. 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 O1 F21, 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 3rd day of March, 2008.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Alan B. Wang,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E8-4691 Filed 3-7-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P