[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]
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