[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76404-76407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29889]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-295, 50-304, and 72-1037; NRC-2014-0199]
ZionSolutions, LLC.; Zion Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2;
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Exemption; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an
exemption in response to a request submitted by ZionSolutions on June
25, 2014, for its general license to operate an independent spent fuel
storage installation (ISFSI) at the Zion Nuclear Power Station (ZNPS).
The exemption would permit ZionSolutions to load NAC International,
Inc. (NAC), Modular Advanced Generation Nuclear All-purpose Storage
(MAGNASTOR[supreg]) casks (Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1031) in
a manner different than permitted by any amendment to the
MAGNASTOR[supreg] CoC. ZionSolutions is currently loading
MAGNASTOR[supreg] storage casks and maintains that relief from
requirements provides flexibility in operations, minimizes equipment
runtime and repair, and minimizes personnel dose.
DATES: Notice of issuance of exemption given on December 22, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2014-0199 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2014-0199. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select
[[Page 76405]]
``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]. For the convenience of the reader,
the ADAMS accession numbers are provided in a table in the
``Availability of Documents'' section of this document. Some documents
referenced are located in the NRC's ADAMS Legacy Library. To obtain
these documents, contact the NRC's PDR for assistance.
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: Bernard White, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-287-0810; email:
[email protected].
I. Background
In February 1998, ZNPS, Units 1 and 2, were permanently shut down.
On February 13, 1998, Commonwealth Edison Company, the ZNPS licensee at
that time, submitted a letter certifying the permanent cessation of
operations at ZNPS, Units 1 and 2. On March 9, 1998, Commonwealth
Edison Company submitted a letter certifying the permanent removal of
fuel from the reactor vessels at ZNPS. On May 4, 2009, the NRC issued
the order to transfer the ownership of the permanently shut down ZNPS
facility, and responsibility for its decommissioning to ZionSolutions.
This transfer was effectuated on September 1, 2010. ZionSolutions was
established solely for the purpose of acquiring and decommissioning the
ZNPS facility for release for unrestricted use, while transferring the
spent nuclear fuel and Greater-Than-Class C radioactive waste to the
ZNPS ISFSI. ZionSolutions holds Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-39
and DPR-48, which authorize possession of spent fuel from the operation
of ZNPS, Units 1 and 2, in Zion, Illinois, pursuant to Part 50 of Title
10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). The licenses provide,
among other things, that the facility must comply with all applicable
NRC requirements.
Consistent with 10 CFR part 72, subpart K, a general license is
issued for the storage of spent fuel in an ISFSI at power reactor sites
to persons authorized to possess or operate nuclear power reactors
under 10 CFR part 50. ZionSolutions is currently authorized to store
spent fuel at the ZNPS ISFSI under the 10 CFR part 72 general license
provisions.
The conditions of the 10 CFR part 72 general license, specifically
10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i), and 72.212(b)(11),
require a general licensee to store spent fuel in an approved spent
fuel storage cask listed in 10 CFR 72.214, and to comply with the
conditions specified in the cask's CoC. The ZNPS ISFSI is currently
loading and storing spent fuel in MAGNASTOR[supreg] storage casks,
approved by the NRC under CoC No. 1031, Amendment No. 3.
The MAGNASTOR[supreg] system provides for the vertical dry storage
of spent fuel assemblies in a welded transportable storage canister
(TSC). The storage system components for MAGNASTOR[supreg] consist of a
vertical concrete cask (VCC), a TSC with an internal basket assembly
that holds the spent fuel assemblies, and a transfer cask, which
contains the TSC during loading, transfer, and unloading operations.
The VCC is constructed of reinforced concrete designed to withstand all
normal condition loads, as well as abnormal condition loads created by
natural phenomena such as earthquakes and tornados. The storage system
is also designed to withstand design-basis accident conditions.
II. Request/Action
By letter dated June 25, 2014, ZionSolutions submitted a request
for exemptions from specific portions of the requirements of 10 CFR
72.212, ``Conditions of general license issued under Sec. 72.210,''
specifically 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i),
72.212(b)(11), and 10 CFR 72.214, ``List of approved spent fuel storage
casks.'' Specifically, ZionSolutions has requested an exemption from
the requirements of limiting condition of operation (LCO) 3.1.1,
Section 1, Table A, of the technical specification (TS), regarding
allowed transfer time from loading of a TSC inside the
MAGNASTOR[supreg] transfer cask to placement into the VCC following the
completion of helium backfill. ZionSolutions must connect the TSC to
the annulus cooling water system (ACWS) for a certain minimum period
prior to attempting the transfer. The length of time the TSC is
connected to the ACWS prior to the transfer determines the maximum time
ZionSolutions has to successfully complete the transfer to the VCC.
Currently, ZionSolutions connects the TSC to the ACWS for 8 hours,
which then affords a maximum of 8 hours to complete the transfer.
ZionSolutions could increase the maximum transfer time to 48 hours by
TSC connected to the ACWS for an additional 24 hours. However, the
proposed exemption would modify the allowable transfer time for
pressurized-water reactor (PWR) spent fuel after helium backfill from a
maximum of 8 hours to 600 hours for the movement of a TSC, with heat
load <=20 kW, from the decontamination pit into the VCC. In its
request, ZionSolutions explained that this exemption will reduce
maintenance and delays, and potentially reduce the dose received by
workers during the transfer. If granted, ZionSolutions intends to use
this exemption for the remainder of a loading campaign that began in
January 2014.
The NRC has the authority to grant specific exemptions from these
requirements under 10 CFR 72.7 if the exemption is authorized by law
and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and
security and the exemption is otherwise in the public interest. For the
reasons described below, the NRC is granting an exemption to
ZionSolutions. This exemption is valid until March 31, 2015.
III. Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, the Commission may, upon application by
any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from
the requirements of 10 CFR part 72 when the exemptions are authorized
by law, will not endanger life or property or the common defense and
security, and is otherwise in the public interest.
A. Authorized by Law
The Commission issued 10 CFR 72.7 under the authority granted to it
under Section 133 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended,
42 U.S.C. 10153. Section 72.7 allows the NRC to grant exemptions from
the requirements of 10 CFR part 72 if the exemption is authorized by
law, will not endanger life or property or the common defense and
security, and is otherwise in the public interest. As explained below,
the proposed exemption will not endanger life or property, or the
common defense and security, and is otherwise in the public interest.
The ISFSI regulations cited in this exemption request are 10 CFR
72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i), 72.212(b)(11), and 10 CFR
72.214. The Commission has the legal authority to issue exemptions from
the requirements of Part 72 as provided in 10 CFR 72.7. Issuance of
this exemption is consistent with the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended, and not otherwise inconsistent with NRC
[[Page 76406]]
regulations or other applicable laws. Therefore, issuance of the
exemption is authorized by law.
B. The Exemption Will Not Endanger Life or Property or the Common
Defense and Security
In its exemption request, ZionSolutions referred to analyses
performed by the cask vendor, NAC, in support of ZionSolutions'
request.\1\
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\1\ While the Amendment No. 4 application includes the addition
of increased transfer time, the application also includes other
changes not at issue in this exemption.
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Approval of this exemption request will allow ZionSolutions to
utilize a longer transfer time to place the canister in a VCC, may
reduce operational dose associated with a shorter transfer time, in the
event the licensee is unable to complete the transfer in the maximum 8-
hour period allowed under the terms of the MAGNASTOR CoC. If the
exemption is not granted and ZionSolutions is unable to conclude the
transfer within the 8 hours, it would have to reconnect the TSC to ACWS
within the 8 hour transfer time. Alternately, ZionSolutions can connect
the TSC to the ACWS for an additional 24 hours prior to transfer to be
allowed more time for the transfer. The additional cooling time extends
the permitted maximum time for the transfer from 8 hours to 48 hours,
per Table B of LCO 3.1.1. Granting ZionSolutions' exemption to use the
longer transfer time may reduce dose to the operators, which conforms
to the NRC's as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) requirements.
As discussed below, the NRC staff finds that ZionSolutions'
proposal to increase its transfer time after helium backfill from 8 to
600 hours for heat loads <=20 kW is acceptable for PWR spent fuel and
will not endanger life or property or common defense and security. The
thermal evaluation for the increased transfer time was evaluated using
guidance in NUREG-1536, ``Standard Review Plan for Spent Fuel Dry
Storage Systems at a General License Facility, Rev. 1.''
Safety Evaluation: ZionSolutions proposed to increase the maximum
transfer time for the TSC specified in LCO 3.1.1, Section 1, Table A,
of the TS from 8 to 600 hours for decay heat loads less than 20 kW.
The cask vendor, NAC, performed a steady state analysis for the TSC
located in the transfer cask, which had no additional cooling, and
calculated a peak cladding temperature of 653[emsp14][deg]F for the
<=20 kW PWR heat load condition. The analysis by NAC shows that the
peak cladding temperature during the extended transfer times proposed
by ZionSolutions is below the limit of 752[emsp14][deg]F by a
significant margin (~100[emsp14][deg]F). As discussed below, because
the peak cladding temperature during the extended transfer times
proposed by ZionSolutions will remain below the limit of
752[emsp14][deg]F, the NRC staff concludes that the additional cooling
is not required for loading heat loads <=20 kW at ZNPS.
As part of its review of ZionSolutions' exemption request, the NRC
staff referred to NAC's modeling methods, initial conditions, and
boundary conditions and determined the analyses show that the extended
transfer times requested by ZionSolutions are acceptable. First, the
NRC staff determined that the mesh discretization used in the model is
acceptable to support this exemption because it does not significantly
change the results from the prior model for laminar flows inside the
canister and in the annulus between the canister and transfer cask
inner shell. Second, the NRC staff determined that the flow resistance
factor, used to model fluid flow through the 14x14 PWR fuel assembly as
a porous media, is acceptable because it conforms to known thermal-
hydraulic measurements on a PWR fuel assembly. The analysis is also
acceptable to support this exemption because the methodology used is
the same as the methodology used in the thermal evaluation for the
initial issuance of CoC No. 1031, which the NRC staff had previously
found to be acceptable. Finally, the NRC staff has determined that the
analysis is acceptable to support this exemption because the results of
the calculation show that the fuel temperatures will remain below the
fuel temperature limit of 752[emsp14][deg]F, as specified in NUREG-
1536, Rev. 1, ``Standard Review Plan for Dry Cask Storage Systems,''
and Interim Staff Guidance No. 11, Rev. 3, ``Cladding Considerations
for the Transportation and Storage of Spent Fuel.'' Therefore, the NRC
staff concludes that ZionSolutions will meet the requirements of Part
72 while operating with this exemption.
Security Evaluation: Modification of the transfer time when a
canister's thermal output is <=20 kW for PWR spent fuel does not affect
the ISFSI security plans. Accordingly, the ZNPS ISFSI will continue to
be physically protected under ZionSolutions' ISFSI Physical Security
Plan to the same level of security. Additionally, the changes do not
affect the confinement barriers of the canisters or affect the
integrity of the spent nuclear fuel. Therefore, confinement of the
spent fuel stored at the ISFSI facility is not affected.
As discussed above, the safety and security requirements associated
with transferring the loaded TSC in a transfer cask to a VCC at the
ZNPS ISFSI will continue to be met if the exemption is granted.
Therefore, issuance of the exemption will not endanger life or property
or the common defense and security.
C. The Exemption Is Otherwise in the Public Interest
ZionSolutions stated that adoption of the revised transfer times as
proposed will maintain doses ALARA by ensuring that the time needed to
prepare the canister for storage is minimized. Based on its review of
ZionSolutions' request, the NRC staff concludes that allowing the use
of the extended maximum transfer time reduces time constraints during
transfer operations on operators and thereby reduces dose to ZNPS
operators for the following reasons.
If the operator is unable to conclude the activity within 8 hours
due to operational delays or complications, ZionSolutions stated that
it reconnects the MAGNASTOR transfer cask to annulus cooling water
system (ACWS) within the 8 hour transfer time. ZionSolutions' exemption
request indicated that operators include a 2-hour buffer in the
transfer time to account for the possibility that the transfer cask
will need to be reconnected to the ACWS. As a result, the transfer time
available to the operator is limited to approximately 6 hours.
Performing the ACWS reconnection increases dose to the operators and,
as discussed above, the NRC staff has concluded that successfully
completing the transfer within 600 hours is sufficient to provide
adequate protection of the public health and safety.
To avoid the 8 hour transfer time limitation, ZionSolutions could
use an alternative procedure that allows a 48 hour limit (LCO 3.1.1,
Table B ``PWR with Maximum TSC Backfill''). That alternate procedure
requires the TSC to remain connected to the ACWS for an additional 24
hours prior to attempting the transfer. This alternate procedure is
likely to be used to avoid needing to make multiple transfer attempts
to account for operational delays or complications. However, that
alternate procedure results in an additional 17 hours of operating
time, per individual cask loading, and would include additional dose to
personnel, increase equipment wear, and increase the risk of equipment
failure during extended operation. The resulting system's lack of
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availability would also impact operations. The additional operational
period is specifically a concern for the ZionSolutions fuel loading
campaign, which involves 61 casks, because up to 43 days will be added
to the transfer duration if the alternate procedure is adopted for all
61 casks. Based on the NRC staff's evaluation of the extended transfer
times proposed by ZionSolutions, the NRC staff determines that those
procedures are not necessary to meet the requirements of Part 72
because even without the alternate procedures the fuel temperature will
remain below the temperature limit in NUREG-1536 and ISG-11 which
limits fuel degradation and ensures ready retrievability as required in
10 CFR 72.122(h) and (l).
Given the potential avoidance of additional radiological exposure
to workers during the cask loading campaign, issuance of the exemption
is in the public interest.
D. Environmental Considerations
The NRC staff also considered whether there would be any
significant environmental impacts associated with the exemption. For
this proposed action, the NRC staff performed an environmental
assessment pursuant to 10 CFR 51.30. The environmental assessment
concluded that the proposed action would not significantly impact the
quality of the human environment. The NRC staff concluded that the
proposed action will not result in any changes in the types or amounts
of any radiological or non-radiological effluents that may be released
offsite, and there is no significant increase in occupational or public
radiation exposure because of the proposed action. The Environmental
Assessment and the Finding of No Significant Impact was published on
October 16, 2014 (79 FR 62211).
IV. Conclusions
Accordingly, the NRC has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7,
this exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or property
or the common defense and security, and is otherwise in the public
interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants ZionSolutions an
exemption from 10 CFR part 72.212(a)(2), 72.212(b)(3), 72.212(b)(5)(i),
72.212(b)(11) and 72.214, which states that the licensee shall comply
with the terms, conditions, and specifications of the CoC only with
regard to LCO 3.1.1, Section 1, Table A, of TS to MAGNASTOR[supreg] CoC
No. 1031, Amendment No. 3, to change the time allowed after helium
backfill from 8 hours to 600 hours for transferring a canister
containing <=20 kW of decay heat load from decontamination pit to a
VCC. This exemption approval is only valid for authorizing a longer
transfer time up to 600 hours for canisters with a decay heat load <=20
kW at the ZionSolutions Nuclear Station ISFSI until March 31, 2015.
V. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the following table are available to
interested persons in ADAMS. For information on accessing ADAMS see the
ADDRESSES section of this document.
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Document ADAMS Accession No.
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Commonwealth Edison Company letter 9802200407 (Legacy
certifying the permanent cessation of Library).
operations at ZNPS, Units 1 and 2.
Commonwealth Edison Company letter 9803110251 (Legacy
certifying the permanent removal of fuel Library).
from the reactor vessels at ZNPS.
NRC order and conforming amendments ML090930037.
transferring ownership of ZNPS facility.
Letter issuing conforming amendments ML102290437.
relating to transfer of licenses for ZNPS.
Zion exemption request..................... ML14182A474.
NAC amendment request No. 4 to change LCO ML13171A031.
3.1.1, Section 1, Table A.
NAC MAGANSTOR Amendment 4 response to NRC ML13261A278.
request for supplemental information.
NAC MAGANSTOR final safety analysis report, ML13268A050.
Revision 13C.
NAC supplement to correct TS error ML14170A070.
associated with additional cooling times
for fuel assemblies containing control
elements.
NAC supplement to correct typographical ML14170A022.
error in boron density in TS.
NAC request to have Amendment 3 to CoC 1031 ML14199A501.
be the basis for Amendment 4 instead of
Amendment 2.
NUREG-1536, Rev. 1, ``Standard Review Plan ML101040620.
for Dry Cask Storage Systems,'' dated July
2010.
Interim Staff Guidance No. 11, Rev. 3, ML033230244.
``Cladding Considerations for the
Transportation and Storage of Spent Fuel''.
Initial issuance of Certificate of ML090350509.
Compliance No. 1031.
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The exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of December, 2014.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Anthony H. Hsia,
Deputy Director, Division of Spent Fuel Management, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2014-29889 Filed 12-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P