[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76498-76499]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30862]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-346; NRC-2010-0378]
Firstenergy Nuclear Operating Company, Davis-Besse Nuclear Power
Station; Environmental Assessment And Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, or the Commission) is
considering issuance of an Exemption, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.12, ``Specific Exemptions,''
from 10 CFR 50.61, ``Fracture Toughness Requirements for Protection
Against Pressurized Thermal Shock Events'' and from 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix G, ``Fracture Toughness Requirements'' for Facility Operating
License No. NPF-3, issued to FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company
(FENOC, the licensee), for operation of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power
Station, Unit 1 (DBNPS), located in Ottawa County, Ohio. In accordance
with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC performed an environmental assessment
documenting its findings. The NRC concluded that the proposed actions
will have no significant environmental impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 50,
Appendix G requires that fracture toughness requirements for ferritic
materials of pressure-retaining components of the reactor coolant
pressure boundary of light-water nuclear power reactors provide
adequate margins of safety during any condition of normal operation,
including anticipated operational occurrences and system hydrostatic
tests, to which the pressure boundary may be subjected over its service
lifetime, section 50.61 provides fracture toughness requirements for
protection against pressurized thermal shock (PTS) events. By letter
dated April 15, 2009 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS) Accession No. ML091130228), as supplemented by letter dated
December 18, 2009 (ADAMS Accession No. ML093570103), and October 8,
2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML102861221), FENOC proposed exemptions from
the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61, to
revise certain DBNPS reactor pressure vessel (RPV) initial
(unirradiated) properties using Framatome Advanced Nuclear Power
Topical Report BAW-2308, Revisions 1-A and 2-A, ``Initial
RTNDT of Linde 80 Weld Materials.''
The licensee requested an exemption from Appendix G to 10 CFR part
50 to replace the required use of the existing Charpy V-notch
(Cv) and drop weight-based methodology and allow the use of
an alternate methodology to incorporate the use of fracture toughness
test data for evaluating the integrity of the DBNPS RPV circumferential
beltline welds based on the use of the 1997 and 2002 editions of
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard Test Method
E 1921, ``Standard Test Method for Determination of Reference
Temperature T0, for Ferritic Steels in the Transition
Range,'' and American Society for Mechanical Engineering Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Code (ASME B&PV Code), Code Case N-629, ``Use of
Fracture Toughness Test Data to establish Reference Temperature for
Pressure Retaining materials of Section III, Division 1, Class 1.'' The
exemption is required since Appendix G to 10 CFR part 50, through
reference to Appendix G to Section XI of the ASME Code pursuant to 10
CFR 50.55(a), requires the use of a methodology based on Cv
and drop weight data.
The licensee also requested an exemption from 10 CFR 50.61 to use
an alternate methodology to allow the use of fracture toughness test
data for evaluating the integrity of the DBNPS RPV circumferential
beltline welds based on the use of the 1997 and 2002 editions of ASTM E
1921 and ASME Code Case N-629. The exemption is required since the
methodology for evaluating RPV material fracture toughness in 10 CFR
50.61 requires the use of the Cv and drop weight data for
establishing the PTS reference temperature (RTPTS).
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated April 15, 2009, as supplemented by letters dated
December 18, 2009, August 26 and October 8, 2010.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action is needed to allow the licensee to use an
alternate method, as described in Topical Report BAW-2308, Revisions 1-
A and 2-A, ``Initial RTNDT of Linde 80 Weld Materials'' for
determining the initial, unirradiated material reference temperatures
of the Linde 80 weld materials present in the beltline region of the
DBNPS RPV. This action, by being exempted from 10 CFR 50.61 would allow
the licensee to revise its pressurized thermal shock reference
temperature values in the future.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed exemption. The
NRC staff has concluded that the proposed action to allow an alternate
method for determining the initial, unirradiated material reference
temperatures of the Linde 80 weld materials present in the beltline
region of the DBNPS RPV would not significantly affect plant safety and
would not have a significant adverse effect on the probability of an
accident occurring. The proposed action would not result in an
increased radiological hazard beyond those previously analyzed in the
Final Safety Analysis Report for DBNPS.
The NRC 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, if granted.
There will be no change to radioactive effluents that effect
radiation exposures to plant workers and members of the public. The
proposed action does not involve a change to plant buildings or land
areas on the DBNPS site. Therefore, no changes or different types of
radiological impacts are expected as a result of the proposed
exemption.
The proposed action does not result in changes to land use or water
use, or result in changes to the quality or quantity of non-
radiological effluents. No changes to the National Pollution Discharge
Elimination System permit are needed. No effects on the aquatic or
terrestrial habitat in the vicinity or the plant, or to threatened,
endangered, or protected species under the Endangered Species Act, or
impacts to essential fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Steven's Act
are expected. There are no impacts to the air or ambient air quality.
There are no impacts to historical and cultural resources. There
would be no impact to socioeconomic resources. Therefore, no changes to
or different types of non-radiological environmental impacts are
expected as a result of the proposed exemption.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
[[Page 76499]]
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 ``no-action'' 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,
NUREG-75/097, dated October 1975, for DBNPS.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on October 22, 2010, the
staff consulted with the Ohio State official, Ms. Carol O'Claire of the
Ohio Emergency Management 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 April 15, 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 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 29th day of November 2010.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael Mahoney,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-2, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-30862 Filed 12-7-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P