[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 9, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65161-65162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29324]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2008-0066; DOCKET NO. 52-017]


Virginia Electric and Power Company D/B/A Dominion Virginia Power 
and Old Dominion Electric Cooperative Combined License Application for 
North Anna Unit 3; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR), Section 50.71(e)(3)(iii) [10 CFR 
50.71(e)(3)(iii)], for the North Anna Unit 3 Combined License (COL) 
Application, Docket Number 52-017, submitted by Virginia Electric and 
Power Company, doing business as Dominion Virginia Power (Dominion), 
and Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC), for the proposed facility 
to be located in Louisa County, Virginia. In accordance with 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 is a one-time schedule exemption from the 
requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(e)(3)(iii). During the period from the 
docketing of a COL application until the Commission makes a finding 
under 10 CFR 52.103(g) pertaining to facility operation, the applicant 
must, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.71(e)(3)(iii), submit an annual update to 
the final safety analysis report (FSAR), a part of the application. The 
proposed exemption would allow the applicant to submit the FSAR update 
scheduled for 2009 by June 30, 2010, and to submit the subsequent FSAR 
update in 2011. The FSAR update schedule could not be changed absent 
the exemption. The NRC is authorized to grant the exemption pursuant to 
10 CFR 50.12. The proposed action is in accordance with the applicant's 
request dated November 17, 2009 (Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML093240090).

Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed to provide the applicant sufficient 
time to fully incorporate into the FSAR update the most recent revision 
(Revision 6) of the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) 
Design Control Document (DCD) which was submitted to the NRC on August 
31, 2009. The ESBWR design, referenced by the North Anna Unit 3 COL 
application, is currently undergoing NRC review for design 
certification and Revision 6 of the DCD was a comprehensive revision. 
The NRC expectation is that the FSAR update will fully incorporate 
Revision 6 of the DCD in an acceptable manner. The applicant has 
requested a one-time exemption from the schedule specified in 10 CFR 
50.71(e)(3)(iii) to fully incorporate Revision 6 of the ESBWR DCD into 
the FSAR update.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that there are no environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed exemption. The proposed exemption is solely administrative in 
nature in that it pertains to the schedule for submittal to the NRC of 
revisions to an application for a COL under 10 CFR Part 52 which has 
not been granted.
    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 any foreseeable impacts to land, air, or water 
resources, including impacts to biota. In addition, there are also no 
known socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts associated with 
the proposed action. 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.

[[Page 65162]]

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. Therefore, the environmental impacts of the 
proposed action and the alternative action are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The proposed action does not involve the use of any different 
resources than those previously considered in the Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) related to the North Anna Unit 3 
Combined License Application dated December 19, 2008.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On November 30, 2009, the staff consulted with officials at the 
Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The 
representatives of the Commonwealth 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 
applicant's letter dated November 17, 2009. 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 2nd day of December 2009.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas A. Kevern,
Senior Project Manager, ESBWR/ABWR Projects Branch 1, Division of New 
Reactor Licensing, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. E9-29324 Filed 12-8-09; 8:45 am]
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