[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 192 (Thursday, October 2, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57386-57387]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-23238]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. Stn 50-528]


Arizona Public Service Company, et al.; Palo Verde Nuclear 
Generating Station, Unit 1; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of a temporary exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Section 50.46 and 10 CFR 50, Appendix K, 
for Facility Operating License No. NPF-41, issued to Arizona Public 
Service Company (APS, the licensee), for operation of the Palo Verde 
Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS), Unit 1, located in Maricopa County, 
Arizona. 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 up to eight lead fuel 
assemblies (LFAs) manufactured by AREVA NP with fuel rods clad with M5 
to be inserted into the PVNGS, Unit 1 reactor core during operating 
Cycles 15, 16, and 17.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's request 
for exemption dated March 8, 2008, as supplemented by letter dated 
September 10, 2008.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed temporary exemption is needed to allow the use of M5 
LFAs by APS to evaluate cladding for future fuel assemblies that may 
need to be of a more robust design than current fuel assemblies to 
allow for possibly higher duty or extended burnup. The regulations 
specify standards and acceptance criteria only for fuel rods clad with 
Zircaloy or ZIRLO. Consistent with 10 CFR 50.46, a temporary exemption 
is required to use fuel rods clad with an advanced alloy that is not 
Zircaloy or ZIRLO. Therefore, the licensee needs a temporary exemption 
to insert up to eight LFAs containing new cladding material into the 
PVNGS,

[[Page 57387]]

Unit 1 reactor core for test during operation.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that the proposed exemption will not present any undue 
risk to the public health and safety. The safety evaluation performed 
by Framatome ANP, Inc., ``BAW-10227P-A, Evaluation of Advanced Cladding 
and Structural Material (M5) in PWR Reactor Fuel, Framatome Cogema 
Fuels, February 2000,'' demonstrates that the predicted chemical, 
mechanical, and material performance characteristics of the M5 cladding 
are within those approved for Zircaloy under anticipated operational 
occurrences and postulated accidents. Furthermore, the LFAs will be 
placed in non-limiting locations. In the unlikely event that cladding 
failures occur in the LFAs, the environmental impact would be minimal 
and is bounded by previous accident analyses.
    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 offsite. There is no significant 
increase in the amount of any effluent released offsite. 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 PVNGS, Unit 1, NUREG-0841, dated February 1982.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on September 9, 2008, the 
staff consulted with the Arizona State official, Aubrey Godwin of the 
Arizona Radiation Regulatory 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 March 8, 2008, as supplemented by letter dated 
September 10, 2008 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS) Accession Nos. ML080790524 and ML082620212, respectively). 
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 
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 26th day of September 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Balwant K. Singal,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
 [FR Doc. E8-23238 Filed 10-1-08; 8:45 am]
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