[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31895-31896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-13041]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-397; NRC-2010-0029]


Energy Northwest, Columbia Generating Station; Record of Decision 
and Issuance of Renewed Facility Operating License for an Additional 
20-Year Period

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: License renewal application; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) 
has issued renewed facility operating license No. NPF-21 to Energy 
Northwest (the licensee), the operator of the Columbia Generating 
Station (Columbia). Renewed facility operating license No. NPF-21 
authorizes operation of Columbia by the licensee at reactor core power 
levels not in excess of 3,486 megawatts thermal in accordance with the 
provisions of the Columbia renewed operating license and its technical 
specifications. This also serves as the record of decision for the 
renewal of facility operating license No. NPF-21, consistent with the 
NRC's regulations.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2010-0029 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access information related to this document, which the NRC 
possesses and are publicly available, using any of the following 
methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2010-0029. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol

[[Page 31896]]

Gallagher; telephone: 301-492-3668; email: [email protected].
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may access publicly available documents online in the NRC 
Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the 
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then select ``Begin Web-
based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's 
Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected]. The ADAMS accession number 
for each document referenced in this notice (if that document is 
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is 
referenced.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Arthur Cunanan, Project Manager, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-3897; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion

    Notice is hereby given that the NRC has issued renewed facility 
operating license No. NPF-21 to Energy Northwest, the operator of 
Columbia. Renewed facility operating license No. NPF-21 authorizes 
operation of Columbia by the licensee at reactor core power levels not 
in excess of 3,486 megawatts thermal in accordance with the provisions 
of the Columbia renewed operating license and its technical 
specifications.
    The notice also serves as the record of decision for the renewal of 
facility operating license No. NPF-21, consistent with Title 10 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 51.103. As discussed in the final 
supplemental environmental impact statement for Columbia, Supplement 47 
to NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License 
Renewal of Nuclear Plants (GEIS) Regarding Columbia Generating 
Station,'' dated April 2012 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML12096A334 and 
ML12096A336), the Commission has considered a range of reasonable 
alternatives that included: (1) Natural gas-fired combined cycle 
(NGCC); (2) new nuclear; (3) combination alternative (NGCC), 
hydroelectric, wind, and conservation and efficiency); (4) offsite new 
nuclear and NGCC; (5) coal-fired power; (6) energy conservation and 
energy efficiency; (7) purchased power; (8) solar power; (9) wind 
power; (10) biomass waste; (11) hydroelectric power; (12) ocean wave 
and current energy; (13) geothermal power; (14) municipal solid waste; 
(15) biofuels; (16) oil-fired power; (17) fuel cells; (18) delayed 
retirement; and (19) the no-action alternative. The factors considered 
in the record of decision can be found in the final supplemental 
environmental impact statement for Columbia.
    Columbia is a boiling-water reactor located in Benton County, 
Richland, Washington. The application for the renewed license, 
``Columbia Generating Station License Renewal Application,'' dated 
January 2012 (ADAMS Accession No. ML100250656), complied with the 
standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended 
(the Act), and the Commission's regulations. As required by the Act and 
the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR Chapter I, the Commission has 
made appropriate findings, which are set forth in the license. Prior 
public notice of the action involving the proposed issuance of the 
renewed license and of an opportunity for a hearing regarding the 
proposed issuance of the renewed license was published in the Federal 
Register on March 11, 2010 (75 FR 11576).
    For further details with respect to this action, see: (1) Energy 
Northwest's license renewal application for Columbia Generating Station 
dated January 19, 2010, as supplemented by letters dated through April 
23, 2012; (2) the Commission's safety evaluation report NUREG-2123, 
``Safety Evaluation Report Related to the License Renewal of Columbia 
Generating Station,'' dated May 2012 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML12139A300 
and ML12139A302); (3) the licensee's Final Safety Analysis Report; and 
(4) the Commission's final environmental impact statement (NUREG-1437, 
Supplement 47), for the Columbia Generating Station, published April 
2012.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of May, 2012.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Dennis Morey,
Chief, Projects Branch 1, Division of License Renewal, Office of 
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2012-13041 Filed 5-29-12; 8:45 am]
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