[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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