[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42743-42745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15573]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 72-16; NRC-2014-0154]
North Anna Power Station Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
[[Page 42744]]
ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact;
issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering a
license amendment request for the Virginia Electric and Power Company's
(Dominion) Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License SNM-2507 for the
operation of North Anna Power Station's (NAPS) independent spent fuel
storage installation (ISFSI). The proposed amendment would revise the
technical specifications (TSs) to allow the loading and storing of high
burnup spent nuclear fuel from NAPS, Units 1 and 2, in a single,
modified (and instrumented) TN-32B HBU cask.
DATES: The environmental assessment and finding of no significant
impact referenced in this document are available on June 30, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2014-0154 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-2014-0154. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; 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 ``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 (if it is available
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this
document.
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: Jean Trefethen, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0867, email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is considering issuance of a license amendment for
Dominion's SNM License SNM-2507 for the NAPS ISFSI located in Louisa
County, Virginia (ADAMS Accession No. ML15239B251 and ML15289A189).
Dominion is proposing to revise the TSs to allow the loading and
storing of high burnup spent nuclear fuel (i.e., spent fuel with burnup
greater than 45,000 megawatt days per metric ton of uranium (MWD/MTU))
from NAPS, Units 1 and 2, in a single, modified (and instrumented) TN-
32B HBU cask.
The NRC staff has prepared a final environmental assessment (EA) as
part of its review of this proposed license amendment in accordance
with the requirements in part 51 of title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) ``Environmental Protection Regulations for
Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions.'' Based on the
final EA, the NRC has determined that an environmental impact statement
is not required for this proposed action and a finding of no
significant impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The NRC is also conducting a
safety evaluation of the proposed license amendment pursuant to 10 CFR
part 72, ``Licensing Requirements for the Independent Storage of Spent
Nuclear Fuel, High Level Radioactive Waste, and Reactor-Related Greater
than Class C Waste,'' and the results will be documented in a separate
Safety Evaluation Report (SER). If Dominion's request is approved, the
NRC will issue the license amendment following publication of this
final EA and FONSI and the SER.
II. Final Environmental Assessment Summary
Dominion is requesting to amend its specifically-licensed ISFSI to
load and store high burnup spent nuclear fuel from NAPS, Units 1 and 2,
in a single, modified (and instrumented) TN-32B HBU cask. Specifically,
the TN-32B HBU cask will be modified to insert thermocouples through
the cask lid and into the fuel assemblies to monitor fuel temperatures
in the cask. The data gathered will support the U.S. Department of
Energy and Electric Power Research Institute High Burnup Dry Storage
Research Project. Dominion is proposing to revise the TSs that address
the functional and operating limits, the limiting condition for
operation, and the design features to reflect the use of the TN-32B HBU
cask. As part of the High Burnup Dry Storage Research Project, Dominion
will monitor the fuel temperature in this cask and collect data to
support research on the long-term behavior of high burnup spent nuclear
fuel. The information will be used to inform dry cask designs and
future ISFSI licensing actions. If the proposed license amendment is
approved, Dominion will load the TN-32B HBU cask with high burnup spent
nuclear fuel and place it on the single vacant spot in the
specifically-licensed ISFSI Pad 1.
The NRC has assessed the potential environmental impacts of the
proposed action, and alternatives to the proposed action including the
use of the Transnuclear, Inc., Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] Cask System
under the generally-licensed ISFSI and the no-action alternative. The
results of the NRC's environmental review can be found in the final EA
(ADAMS Accession No. ML16168A104). The NRC staff performed its
environmental review in accordance with the requirements in 10 CFR part
51. In conducting the environmental review, the NRC considered
information in the license amendment application (ADAMS Accession No.
ML15239B251); information in the responses to the NRC's requests for
additional information (ADAMS Accession No. ML16097A213 and
ML16097A219); communications and consultation with the Virginia State
Historic Preservation Office, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),
and the Virginia Department of Health.
Approval of Dominion's proposed license amendment would allow the
TN-32B HBU cask to be placed on the specifically-licensed ISFSI Pad 1.
Changes to routine operations or maintenance of the NAPS specifically-
licensed ISFSI would consist of downloading the data from the data
logger on a quarterly basis. Dominion calculated the total dose rate at
the site boundary from the placement of this one TN-32B HBU cask and
determined that the dose would be 0.937 mrem/year. Adding the total
dose rate from the placement of the TN-32B HBU cask to the maximum
combined radiation contribution to the nearest permanent resident from
the operation of the ISFSI and the NAPS, Units 1 and 2 (5.10 mrem/
year), would result in a total combined dose rate of 6.037 mrem/year,
which is below the 25 mrem/year regulatory limit in 10 CFR 72.104. In
addition, the NRC reviews and oversees casks to ensure these are
designed and maintained in accordance with the regulatory limits in 10
CFR parts 20 and 72. Furthermore, Dominion maintains a radiation
protection program for NAPS, Units 1 and 2, and the specifically-
licensed and generally-licensed ISFSIs
[[Page 42745]]
in accordance with 10 CFR part 20 to ensure that radiation doses are as
low as is reasonably achievable. Accordingly, no significant
radiological or non-radiological impacts are expected to result from
approval of the license amendment request, and the proposed action
would not significantly contribute to cumulative impacts at the NAPS
site. Additionally, there would be no disproportionately high and
adverse impacts on minority and low-income populations. Furthermore,
the NRC staff determined that this license amendment request does not
have the potential to cause effects on historic properties, assuming
those were present; therefore, in accordance with 36 CFR 800.3(a)(1),
no consultation is required under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act. The NRC staff, however, reached out to and informed
the Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer and the Pamunkey Tribe
of Virginia of its determination via letters dated April 12, 2016, and
January 21, 2016, respectively (ADAMS Accession No. ML16098A212 and
ML16020A342, respectively). The NRC staff also consulted with the FWS
in accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. The NRC
staff used FWS Virginia Field Office's Ecological Services online
project review process. The self-certification letter dated April 8,
2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16118A168), stated that ``additional
coordination with this office is not needed.'' The NRC completed the
certification process by submitting the online review package to the
FWS Virginia Field Office via letter dated May 2, 2016 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML16120A189). In conclusion, the NRC staff finds that the proposed
action will not result in a significant effect on the quality of the
human environment.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based on its review of the proposed action, in accordance with the
requirements in 10 CFR part 51, the NRC has concluded that the license
amendment request for the Dominion's SNM License Number SNM-2507 for
the operation of NAPS' ISFSI located in Louisa County, Virginia, will
not significantly affect the quality of the human environment.
Therefore, the NRC has determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, that
preparation of an environmental impact statement is not required for
the proposed action and a finding of no significant impacts is
appropriate.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of June, 2016.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Craig E. Erlanger,
Director, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and Environmental
Review, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2016-15573 Filed 6-29-16; 8:45 am]
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