[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8903-8904]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3521]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-400, NRC-2012-0034]


Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact; 
Carolina Power and Light Company Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, 
Unit 1

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Araceli T. Billoch Col[oacute]n, 
Project Manager, Licensing Branch II-2, Division of Operating Reactor 
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Rockville, Maryland, 20822. Telephone: (301) 
415-3302; fax number: (301) 415-1032; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    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\TM\ alloy fuel rod cladding for 
Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-63, issued to Carolina Power 
and Light Company (the licensee), doing business as Progress Energy 
Carolinas Inc., for operation of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power 
Plant, Unit 1 (HNP), located in New Hill, North 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.

II. Environmental Assessment Summary

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 presumes 
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 state or assume that either zircaloy or ZIRLO is used as 
the fuel rod cladding material. The proposed exemption would allow the 
licensee use of M5\TM\ cladding fuel assemblies into the core of HNP 
Unit 1. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated January 19, 2011.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed exemption is needed to allow the licensee the use of 
M5\TM\ alloy fuel rod cladding at HNP. The licensee has requested an 
exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.46 and appendix K to 10 
CFR part 50 to allow for loading of M5\TM\ clad fuel assemblies, in 
lieu of zircaloy or ZIRLO, into the core during Refueling Outage 17 
that is currently scheduled for spring 2012.

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 Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit 
are needed. No effects on the aquatic or terrestrial habitat in the 
vicinity of the plant, or to threatened, endangered, or protected 
species under the Endangered Species Act, or impacts to essential fish 
habitat covered by the Magnuson-Stevens Act are expected. No impacts to 
the air or ambient air quality are expected. There are no impacts to 
historic and cultural resources. In addition, there are also no known 
socioeconomic or environmental justice impacts associated with the 
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 and would not be able to use M5\TM\ clad fuel in the 
HNP core during the upcoming refueling outage. 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 HNP, NUREG-
0972, dated October 31, 1983, as supplemented through the ``Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: 
Regarding Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1--Final Report 
(NUREG-1437, Supplement 33).''

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on January 19, 2012 the NRC 
staff consulted with the North Carolina State official, Mr. Lee Cox of 
the Division of Radiation Protection, with the North Carolina 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no 
comments.

[[Page 8904]]

III. 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.

IV. Further Information

    Documents related to this action are available electronically at 
the NRC Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this 
site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and 
Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's 
public documents. For further details with respect to the proposed 
action, see the licensee's letter dated January 19, 2011, located under 
ADAMS Accession No. ML11313A162. If you do not have access to ADAMS or 
if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, 
contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-
397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by email to [email protected].
    These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public 
computers located at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), O 1 F21, One 
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR 
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of February 2012.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Araceli T. Billoch Col[oacute]n,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch 2-2, Division of Operating 
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2012-3521 Filed 2-14-12; 8:45 am]
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