[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36134-36135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14315]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-305]


Dominion Energy Kewaunee, Inc.; Kewaunee Power Station; 
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an amendment pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Section 50.90, for Facility Operating 
License No. DPR-43, issued to Dominion Energy Kewaunee, Inc. (the 
licensee), for operation of the Kewaunee Power Station (KPS), located 
in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. 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 revise the facility operating license by 
removing condition 2.C(5), ``Fuel Burnup,'' which had limited the peak 
rod average burnup to 60 gigawatt-days per metric ton urnanium (GWD/
MTU) until completion of an NRC environmental assessment supporting an 
increased limit. The proposed action would allow an increase of the 
maximum rod average burnup to as high as 62 GWD/MTU. The licensee has 
procedures in place to ensure that maximum rod burnup will not exceed 
62 GWD/MTU.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated July 2, 2007.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action to delete the license condition for fuel burnup 
would allow a higher maximum rod average burnup of 62 GWD/MTU, which 
would allow for more effective fuel management. If the amendment is not 
approved, the licensee will not be provided the opportunity to increase 
maximum rod average burnup to as high as 62 GWD/MTU and allow fuel 
management flexibility.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    In this environmental assessment regarding the impacts of the use 
of extended burnup fuel beyond 60 GWD/MTU, the Commission is relying on 
the results of the updated study conducted for NRC by the Pacific 
Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), entitled ``Environmental Effects 
of Extending Fuel Burnup Above 60 GWD/MTU'' (NUREG/CR-6703, PNNL-13257, 
January 2001). Environmental impacts of high burnup fuel up to 75 GWD/
MTU were evaluated in the study, but some aspects of the review were 
limited to evaluating the impacts of the extended burnup up to 62 GWD/
MTU because of the need for additional data on the effect of extended 
burnup on gap release fractions. All the aspects of the fuel-cycle were 
considered during the study, from mining, milling, conversion, 
enrichment and fabrication through normal reactor operation, 
transportation, waste management, and storage of spent fuel.
    The amendment would allow KPS to extend lead rod average burnup to 
62 GWD/MTU. The NRC staff has completed its evaluation of the proposed 
action and concludes that such changes would not adversely affect plant 
safety, and would have no adverse affect on the probability of any 
accident. For the accidents that involve damage or melting of the fuel 
in the reactor core, fuel rod integrity has been shown to be unaffected 
by extended burnup under consideration; therefore, the probability of 
an accident will not be affected. For the accidents in which core 
remains intact, the increased burnup may slightly change the mix of 
fission products that could be released in the event of a serious 
accident, but because the radionuclides contributing most to the dose 
are short-lived, increased burnup would not have an effect on the 
consequences of a serious accident beyond the previously evaluated 
accident scenarios. Increases in projected consequences of postulated 
accidents associated with fuel burnup up to 62 GWD/MTU are not 
considered significant, and remain well below regulatory limits.
    Regulatory limits on radiological effluent releases are independent 
of burnup. The requirements of 10 CFR 50.36a and Appendix I to 10 CFR 
Part 50 ensure that any release of gaseous, liquid or solid 
radiological effluents to unrestricted areas is kept ``As Low As is 
Reasonably Achievable.'' Therefore, NRC staff concludes that during 
routine operations, there will be no significant increase in the amount 
of gaseous radiological effluents released into the environment as a 
result of the proposed action, nor will there be a significant increase 
in the amount of liquid radiological effluents or solid radiological 
effluents released into the environment.
    The proposed action will not change normal plant operating 
conditions. No changes are expected in the fuel handling, operational 
or storing processes. There will be no significant changes in radiation 
levels during these evolutions. No significant increase in the 
allowable individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure is 
expected to occur.
    The use of extended irradiation will not change the potential 
environmental impacts of incident-free transportation of spent nuclear 
fuel or the accident risks associated with spent fuel transportation if 
the fuel is cooled for 5 years after being discharged from the reactor. 
The PNNL report for the NRC (NUREG/CR-6703, January 2001), concluded 
that doses associated with incident-free transportation of spent fuel 
with burnup to 75 GWD/MTU are bounded by the doses given in 10 CFR 
51.52, Table S-4 for all regions of the country, based on the dose 
rates from the shipping casks being maintained within regulatory 
limits. Increased fuel burnup will decrease the annual discharge of 
fuel to the spent fuel pool, which will postpone the need to remove 
spent fuel from the pool.
    NUREG/CR-6703 determined that no increase in environmental effects 
of spent fuel transportation accidents are expected as a result of 
increasing fuel burnup to 75 GWD/MTU.
    The proposed action does not affect non-radiological plant 
effluents, and no changes to the National Pollution Discharge 
Elimination System permit are needed. No effects on the aquatic or 
terrestrial habitat in the vicinity of the plant, or on endangered and/
or threatened species and their habitats are expected. The proposed 
action does not involve any historical or archaeological sites.
    The proposed action will not change the method of generating 
electricity or the method of handling any influents from the 
environment or non-radiological effluents to the environment. 
Therefore, no changes or different types of non-radiological 
environmental impacts are expected as a result of this amendment. 
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. For more 
detailed information regarding the environmental impacts of extended 
fuel burnup, please refer to the

[[Page 36135]]

study conducted by PNNL for the NRC, entitled ``Environmental Effects 
of Extending Fuel Burnup Above 60 GWD/MTU'' (NUREG/CR-6073, PNL-13257, 
January 2001, ADAMS Accession No. ML010310298). The details of the 
staff's safety evaluation will be provided in the amendment that will 
be issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving the 
amendment.

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 
Kewaunee Power Station, dated December 1972.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on June 12, 2008, the staff 
consulted with the Wisconsin State official, Mr. Jeff Kitsembel, of the 
Public Service Commission, 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 July 2, 2007 (ADAMS Accession No. ML071860075). 
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 day of June 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Justin C. Poole,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch 3-1, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E8-14315 Filed 6-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P