[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66333-66334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-27691]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-261; NRC-2011-0247]


Carolina Power & Light Company, H.B. Robinson Steam Electric 
Plant, Unit No. 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
issuance of an exemption pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) 50.46, ``Acceptance criteria for emergency core 
cooling systems for light-water nuclear power reactors,'' and 10 CFR 
part 50, appendix k, ``ECCS [Emergency Core Cooling System] Evaluation 
Models,'' to allow for the use of M5 alloy fuel rod cladding for 
Facility Operating License No. DPR-23, issued to Carolina Power & Light 
Company (the licensee), for operation of the H. B. Robinson Steam 
Electric Plant, Unit 2 (HBRSEP), located in Darlington County, South 
Carolina. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, ``Criteria for and 
identification of licensing and regulatory actions requiring 
environmental assessments,'' the NRC staff prepared an environmental 
assessment documenting its finding. The NRC staff concluded that the 
proposed action will have no significant environmental impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would exempt the licensee from certain 
requirements of 10 CFR 50.46 and appendix K to 10 CFR part 50. 
Specifically, 10 CFR 50.46, paragraph (a)(1)(i) provides requirements 
for reactors containing uranium oxide fuel pellets clad in either 
zircaloy or ZIRLO. Additionally, appendix K to 10 CFR part 50 specifies 
the use of zircaloy or ZIRLO fuel cladding when doing calculations for 
energy release, cladding oxidation, and hydrogen generation after a 
postulated loss-of-coolant accident. Therefore, both of these 
regulations either state that either zircaloy or ZIRLO is used as the 
fuel rod cladding material. The proposed exemption would allow the 
licensee use of M5 cladding fuel assemblies into the core of HBRESP, 
Unit 2. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated October 19, 2010.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption is needed to allow the licensee to allow for 
the use of M5 alloy fuel rod cladding at HBRSEP, Unit No. 2. The 
licensee has requested an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 
50.46 and 10 CFR part 50, appendix K to allow for loading of M5 
cladding fuel assemblies, in lieu of zircaloy or ZIRLO, into the core 
during Refueling Outage 27 that is currently scheduled to begin on 
October 29, 2011.

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 details of the NRC staff's safety evaluation 
will be provided in the exemption that, if approved by the NRC, 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 nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
action does not result in changes to land use or water use, or result 
in changes to the quality or quantity of nonradiological 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 
specifies under the Endangered Species Act, or impacts to essential 
fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Stevens Act are expected. There 
are no impacts to the air or ambient air quality. There are no impacts 
to historical and cultural resources. In addition, there are also no 
known socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts associated with 
such proposed action. Therefore, there are no significant 
nonradiological 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 NRC staff considered 
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no action'' alternative). 
Denial of the exemption request would result in no change in current 
environmental impacts. If the proposed action was denied, the licensee 
would have to comply with the ECCS rules in 10 CFR 50.46 and appendix K 
to 10 CFR part 50 regarding use of M5 cladding into the HBRSEP, Unit 2 
core during the upcoming refueling outage. This would cause unnecessary 
burden on the licensee, without a significant benefit in environmental 
impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed exemption and the 
``no action'' alternative are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    The action does not involve the use of any different resources than 
those considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the HBRSEP, 
dated April 1975, as supplemented through the ``Generic Environmental 
Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: H.B. Robinson 
Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2--Final Report (NUREG--1437, Supplement 
13).''

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on October 17, 2011, the NRC 
staff consulted with the South Carolina State official, Mark Yeager of 
the South Carolina Bureau of Land and Waste Management, regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no 
comments.

[[Page 66334]]

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, ``Finding of No Significant Impact,'' and 
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 October 19, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access 
and Management System (ADAMS), Accession No. ML102980142). This 
document 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 are accessible electronically through ADAMS 
in the NRC Library 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 17th day of October 2011.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Farideh E. Saba,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-2, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2011-27691 Filed 10-25-11; 8:45 am]
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