[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 98 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23085-23087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10549]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-461; NRC-2019-0123]


Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Clinton Power Station, Unit No. 1

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; 
issuance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering 
the issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-62, 
issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC (the licensee), for operation 
of the Clinton Power Station, Unit No 1 (CPS), located in DeWitt 
County, Illinois. The proposed action would amend the expiration of 
Facility Operating License No. NPF-62 from September 29, 2026, to April 
17, 2027. From September 29, 1986, to April 17, 1987, CPS was limited 
to 5 percent of rated power while operators conducted low-power testing 
before being issued a full-power operating license on April 17, 1987. 
The action to amend the expiration date of the license from September 
29, 2026, to April 17, 2027, would result in the license expiring 40 
years from the date of the issuance of the full-power operating 
license, as is permitted by the NRC's regulations.

DATES: The environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant 
impact (FONSI) referenced in this document is available on May 21, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0123 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 Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0123. Address 
questions about NRC docket IDs to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-
9127; 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 ``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: Joel S. Wiebe, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6606; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 23086]]

I. Introduction

    The NRC is considering the issuance of an amendment to Facility 
Operating License No. NPF-62, issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC 
(the licensee), for operation of the Clinton Power Station, Unit No. 1 
(CPS), located in DeWitt County, Illinois. The licensee requested the 
amendment by letter dated September 17, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML18260A307). If approved, the amendment would revise the expiration 
date of the license such that it would expire 40 years from the date of 
the issuance of the full-power operating license, as is permitted by 
title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.51. In 
accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC prepared the following EA that 
analyzes the environmental impacts of the proposed licensing action. 
Based on the results of this EA, and in accordance with 10 CFR 
51.31(a), the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact 
statement for the proposed licensing action and is issuing a FONSI.

II. Environmental Assessment

Description of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would revise the expiration date of the license 
such that it would expire 40 years from the date of the issuance of the 
full-power operating license, as is permitted by 10 CFR 50.51. 
Specifically, the proposed action would revise the expiration date of 
the Facility Operating License No. NPF-62 from September 29, 2026, to 
April 17, 2027, which is 40 years from the issuance of the full-power 
operating license on April 17, 1987.
    The proposed action is also described in the licensee's application 
dated September 17, 2018.

Need for the Proposed Action

    On September 29, 1986, the NRC issued a low-power testing license 
(No. NPF-55) that authorized the licensee to operate CPS at up to 5 
percent of rated power. On April 17, 1987, the NRC issued a full-power 
operating license (No. NPF-62) that authorized the licensee to operate 
CPS at up to 100 percent of rated power, with an expiration date 40 
years from the date of the issuance of the low-power license.
    The proposed action would allow the licensee to recapture the 
approximately 6.5 month period of low-power operation and extend the 
license expiration date to April 17, 2027. This action is consistent 
with NRC policy established in the Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) 
for SECY-98-296, ``Staff Requirements--SECY-98-296--Agency Policy 
Regarding Licensee Recapture of Low-Power Testing or Shutdown Time for 
Nuclear Power Plants,'' dated March 30, 1999 (available at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/srm/1998/1998-296srm.pdf). SECY-
98-296, ``Agency Policy Regarding Licensee Recapture of Low-Power 
Testing or Shutdown Time for Nuclear Power Plants,'' dated December 21, 
1998, is available at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/1998/secy1998-296/1998-296scy.pdf.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would amend the CPS license such that it would 
expire 40 years from the date of the issuance of the facility's full-
power operating license.
    NUREG-0854, ``Final Environmental Statement Related to the 
Operation of Clinton Power Station, Unit No.1,'' dated May 1982 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML19079A225), concluded that CPS will most likely operate 
with only minimal environmental impact. The proposed action would not 
affect the design or operation of the plant, and would not involve any 
modifications to the plant or any increase in the licensed power for 
the plant. Similarly, the proposed action would not significantly 
increase the probability or consequences of accidents or change the 
types of effluents released offsite. Because the proposed approximately 
6.5 month extension of operation represents only a small fraction of 
the 40 year operating life considered in NUREG-0854, there would be no 
significant increase in the amount of any effluent released or waste 
generated, and no significant increase in occupational or public 
radiation exposure. The nominal additional quantities of effluents and 
waste generated during the proposed approximately 6.5 month period of 
extension would be in accordance with current operating requirements 
and regulatory limits. Therefore, the NRC concludes that there would be 
no significant radiological or nonradiological 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 considered denial 
of the license amendment request (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). 
Denial of the license amendment request would result in no change in 
current environmental impacts. Accordingly, the environmental impacts 
of the proposed action and the no-action alternative would be similar.

Alternative Use of Resources

    There are no unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of 
available resources under the proposed action.

Agencies or Persons Consulted

    No additional agencies or persons were consulted regarding the 
environmental impact of the proposed action. However, in accordance 
with 10 CFR 50.91, the licensee provided copies of its application to 
the State of Illinois, and the NRC staff will consult with this State 
prior to issuance of the amendment.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    The licensee has requested an amendment to revise the expiration 
date of the CPS license such that it would expire 40 years from the 
date of the issuance of the full-power operating license, as is 
permitted by 10 CFR 50.51. Specifically, the proposed action would 
revise the expiration date of Facility Operating License No. NPF-62 
from September 29, 2026, to April 17, 2027, which is 40 years from the 
issuance of the full-power operating license on April 17, 1987.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated September 17, 2018.
    The NRC is considering issuing the requested amendment. The 
proposed action would not significantly affect plant safety, would not 
have a significant adverse effect on the probability of an accident 
occurring, and would not have any significant radiological or 
nonradiological impacts. The reason the human environment would not be 
significantly affected is that the proposed action would not involve 
any construction or modification of the facility. Consistent with 10 
CFR 51.21, the NRC conducted the EA for the proposed action, and this 
FONSI incorporates by reference the EA in Section II of this notice. 
Therefore, 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.
    As required by 10 CFR 51.32(a)(5), the related environmental 
document which provides the latest description of environmental 
conditions at CPS is NUREG-0854.
    This FONSI and other related environmental documents may be 
examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room 
(PDR),

[[Page 23087]]

located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852. Publicly-available records are also accessible 
electronically from the ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room on the 
internet at the NRC's website: 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's 
PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or 
by email to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of May 2019.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Joel S. Wiebe,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2019-10549 Filed 5-20-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P