Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Special Nuclear Material License Application From Tennessee Valley Authority for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, Spring City, TN, 34273-34276 [2011-14559]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 113 / Monday, June 13, 2011 / Notices
[FR Doc. 2011–14564 Filed 6–10–11; 8:45 am]
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MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE
CORPORATION
[MCC FR 11–06]
Notice of the June 22, 2011 Millennium
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Dated: June 9, 2011.
Melvin F. Williams,
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Millennium Challenge Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2011–14647 Filed 6–9–11; 11:15 am]
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Dated: June 8, 2011.
Kathy Plowitz-Worden,
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[FR Doc. 2011–14561 Filed 6–10–11; 8:45 am]
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[Docket No. 70–7018; NRC–2008–0369]
Environmental Assessment and
Finding of No Significant Impact for
Special Nuclear Material License
Application From Tennessee Valley
Authority for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant,
Unit 2, Spring City, TN
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Publication of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact.
AGENCY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mary T. Adams, Senior Environmental
Engineer, Advanced Fuel Cycle,
Enrichment, and Uranium Conversion
Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety
and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555. Telephone:
301–492–3113; Fax number: 301–492–
3359; E-mail: Mary.Adams@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering the
issuance of a license to Tennessee
Valley Authority (TVA), to authorize the
receipt, possession, inspection, and
storage of special nuclear material
(SNM) in the form of 193 fresh fuel
assemblies at TVA’s Watts Bar site in
Spring City, TN. This license would be
subject to the requirements of Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), part 70. TVA plans to use this
SNM in operating its proposed Watts
Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2 (WBN2).
TVA’s request for authorization to
operate WBN2 is the subject of a
separate 10 CFR part 50 licensing action
being evaluated by the NRC. TVA’s
existing reactor at the Watts Bar site,
Unit 1 (WBN1), has operated since 1996.
The NRC has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA), set
forth below, in support of the SNM
storage license, in accordance with 10
CFR part 51 (Environmental Protection
Regulations for Domestic Licensing and
Related Regulatory Functions), which
implements section 102(2) of the
National Environmental Policy Act
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(NEPA) of 1969, as amended 42 U.S.C.
4321, et seq. Based on the EA, the NRC
has concluded that a Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate regarding issuance of the
SNM license.
II. Background
NEPA requires a Federal agency to
prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for any major federal
action having the potential to
significantly affect the quality of the
human environment. Consistent with
their responsibilities as Federal agencies
under NEPA, both TVA and NRC
previously prepared EISs regarding the
operation of Units 1 and 2 at the Watts
Bar Nuclear site. Some of the relevant
history in this regard is briefly
summarized below.
In 1978, the NRC published NUREG–
0498, Final Environmental Statement
Related to the Operation of Watts Bar
Nuclear Plant Unit No. 1 and 2 (FES–
OL). After safety issues were raised,
TVA decided not to pursue its WBN
reactor licenses for several years.
Regarding operation of Unit 1, NRC
prepared Supplement 1 to NUREG–0498
in April 1995 (ML081430592), to
evaluate changes in environmental
impacts that occurred as a result of
changes made in the WBN Plant design
and methods of operations after the
1978 FES–OL.
The TVA Final Supplemental EIS for
Unit 2 was issued in June 2007
(ML080510469). The related Record of
Decision by the TVA Board of Directors
was published in the Federal Register
on August 15, 2007 (72 FR 45859), and
the 2007 EIS was submitted to the NRC
on February 15, 2008. Table 2–1 of the
2007 EIS provides a TVA summary of
the potential environmental effects of
operating WBN2.
On March 4, 2009, pursuant to 10 CFR
part 50, TVA submitted an updated
application to the NRC for a power
reactor operating license (OL) for WBN2
(ML090700378). The TVA Final Safety
Analysis Report (FSAR) supporting the
WBN2 OL request was submitted to the
NRC on April 30, 2009 (ML091400067).
On September 11, 2009 (74 FR at
46799), the NRC published a notice of
intent to prepare a second supplement
to NUREG–0498—the NRC EIS for WBN
that was issued in 1978 and
supplemented in 1995. NRC anticipates
that the draft of this second supplement
will be published for public comment in
mid-2011. The scope of the EA below is
limited to assessing the potential
impacts of the receipt, possession,
inspection, and storage of fresh reactor
fuel at the Watts Bar site that would be
used to operate WBN2 if such
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authorization is later granted. The EA’s
scope does not include completion of
construction, or operation, of WBN2.
III. Environmental Assessment
Pursuant to 10 CFR part 70, Domestic
Licensing of Special Nuclear Material,
TVA applied for an SNM license by
application dated November 12, 2009
(ML100120487). The license would
authorize TVA to receive, possess,
inspect, and store SNM (in the form of
193 fully-assembled fresh fuel
assemblies) for potential future use in
its proposed WBN2 reactor.
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to issue TVA
a 10 CFR part 70 license authorizing it
to receive, possess, inspect, and store
SNM in the form of 193 fully-assembled
fuel assemblies that would later form
the initial reactor core of WBN 2. The
SNM in the fuel assemblies would be
enriched up to 5% in the isotope U–235.
The fresh fuel assemblies for WBN2
would be received and stored in areas
common to WBN1 and WBN2.
Specifically, these assemblies would be
stored either in the WBN1 storage racks
within the WBN1 fuel storage vault, or
in the WBN1 spent fuel pool. TVA
requested that its SNM license term last
until June 30, 2013, or until it receives
an OL for WBN2. The safety and
environmental reviews for the proposed
WBN2 OL are not part of the proposed
action evaluated in this EA.
Need for the Proposed Action
TVA anticipates receiving the initial
core of WBN 2 before NRC would issue
the OL for the Unit 2 reactor. TVA needs
this SNM license to authorize WBN 2 to
receive, possess, inspect, and store the
fresh fuel during the time period before
the OL is issued. If an OL is issued, the
OL would authorize use of the fresh fuel
as well as the receipt, possession,
storage, and use of additional fresh fuel
that would be needed for operating
WBN2. Thus, a separate Part 70 license
would no longer be required and would
be terminated.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
TVA needs this SNM license to
authorize WBN2 to receive, possess,
inspect, and store the fresh fuel
assemblies during the time period
before the issuance of any WBN2 OL.
An alternative to the proposed action is
for NRC not to issue the SNM license.
In that case, TVA would be unable to
receive the fresh fuel for the initial
WBN2 reactor core, causing a start-up
delay if the OL for WBN2 were later
granted.
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Environmental Impacts of the Proposed
Action and Alternatives
Section 1.3 of the November 12, 2009,
SNM license application describes the
affected environment, including site
geography, demographics, meteorology,
hydrology, and geology. The proposed
activity is limited to the receipt,
possession, inspection, and storage of
SNM in the form of 193 fuel assemblies,
and would have no significant impact
on any of these site features. Issuance of
a license to receive, possess, inspect,
and store SNM in the form of 193 fresh
fuel assemblies at the Watts Bar site is
thus not expected to have any
significant impact on the environment.
Table 2–1 in TVA’s 2007 EIS provides
a summary of the potential
environmental effects of operating
WBN2. TVA’s EIS considers the impacts
of WBN2 operation, including surface
water quality; groundwater quality;
aquatic ecology; terrestrial quality;
threatened and endangered species;
wetlands; natural areas; cultural
resources; socioeconomics,
environmental justice, and land use;
floodplains and flood risk; seismic
effects; climatology and meteorology;
nuclear plant safety and security;
radiological effects; radiological waste;
and spent fuel transportation and
storage. The impacts of the activities
that would be authorized by the SNM
license are a very small part of the
overall impacts of the operation of
WBN2.
As discussed above, the fresh fuel
would be received and stored in an
existing auxiliary building containing a
storage vault and a spent fuel pool
where WBN1 fuel is currently stored.
The uranium in fresh fuel decays
primarily by alpha emission; alpha
particles cannot escape the fuel
cladding, so there are no worker
exposures or environmental effluents
from the alpha decay. Uranium also
decays by spontaneous fission at a very
low rate, thereby generating neutrons
that escape the cladding and would
result in an extremely low dose to an
individual standing close to the fuel.
Although fresh fuel emits neutrons, the
neutrons do not become environmental
effluents. There will be no change to
radioactive effluents that affect radiation
exposures to plant workers and
members of the public because the
WBN2 fuel is in the form of sealed fuel
rods in finished assemblies.
Part 20 of 10 CFR establishes
standards for the protection of workers
and members of the public against
ionizing radiation resulting from
activities conducted under licenses
issued by the NRC. Under part 20, the
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annual total effective dose equivalent
must not exceed 1 mSv [0.1 rem] (100
mrem/1 mSv) for members of the public.
The effluent limits in 10 CFR part 20,
Appendix B, ensure that the effluent
discharges are kept within the annual
part 20 dose limits. In addition to
meeting the annual dose limits, an NRC
licensee is required to have a program
with the goal of achieving doses that are
as low as reasonably achievable
(ALARA). The worker protection and
environmental protection programs that
are currently used for the receipt and
storage of WBN1 fuel would also be
used for the receipt and storage of
WBN2 fuel, and will ensure that there
would be no significant exposure to
workers and members of the public
under the proposed action. Thus, the
proposed action is not expected to have
a significant environmental impact.
The proposed action does not result
in changes to land use or water use, or
result in changes to the quality or
quantity of non-radiological effluents.
No changes to the National Pollution
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 MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act are expected from the
receipt and storage of fresh fuel at
WBN2. There are no impacts to the air
or ambient air quality. There are no
impacts to historical and cultural
resources. There would be no impact to
socioeconomic resources.
Section 3.16 of TVA’s 2007 EIS
quantifies the impacts of transportation
of fresh fuel, enriched to 5% in the U–
235 isotope. Transport of the 193 fresh
fuel assemblies from a fuel fabrication
facility would require approximately 20
truck trips. Un-irradiated new fuel
assemblies will be shipped in packages
that comply with the regulations in 10
CFR 71, Subpart E, Package Approval
Standards. The only human exposure
from the shipment of fresh fuel
assemblies would be to those in direct
view of the unpackaged assemblies and
to assigned truck drivers. The exposure
in the cab of a fuel transport truck was
estimated to be 0.1 millirem per hour
from neutrons, and exposure to
transportation personnel was estimated
to be less than 1 millirem per shipment.
This level would not cause any
significant health effects.
If WBN2 is licensed to operate, TVA
would comply with all NRC, State, and
Federal requirements for the transport of
un-irradiated fuel, as it currently does
for fuel deliveries to WBN1. Therefore,
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based on the above, the NRC finds that
the impacts of WBN2 fresh fuel
transport and delivery on human health
and the environment would be minimal.
An alternative to the proposed action
is for NRC not to issue the SNM license.
In that case, TVA would be unable to
receive, possess, and store the fresh fuel
until and unless NRC issues the OL for
WBN2 under 10 CFR part 50, which
would authorize these activities. Denial
of the SNM application would result in
no change in current environmental
impacts.
Fuel Handling Accident Analyses
The November 12, 2009, SNM license
application includes analyses of three
dropped fuel assembly accident
scenarios and one dropped gate
scenario. These analyses are part of the
TVA FSAR (Section 9.0, Auxiliary
Systems; 9.1, Fuel Storage and
Handling; 9.1.1, New Fuel Storage;
Section 9.1 9.1.1.3, Safety Evaluation)
supporting its part 50 application for a
WBN2 OL (ML091400648), which TVA
incorporated by reference in its SNM
license application. Therein, TVA
described the fresh fuel storage
conditions and concluded that a
criticality accident during receipt,
inspection, possession, and storage is
not credible. TVA determined, and NRC
review confirmed, that there would be
no significant environmental impacts
from these accident scenarios. The
radiation safety, criticality safety, and
fire safety aspects of the proposed
activities are evaluated in chapters 3, 4,
and 5, respectively, of the Safety
Evaluation Report supporting issuance
of the SNM license.
The NRC staff concluded that the
proposed action to authorize WBN2 to
receive, possess, inspect, and store fresh
fuel under 10 CFR, part 70 would not
significantly affect the environment.
Alternative Use of Resources
The proposed action does not involve
the use of any different resources than
those considered in the NRC’s Final
Environmental Statement for the WBN1
and WBN2, NUREG–0498, dated
December 1978, and the NRC’s
supplement to the Final Environmental
Statement (NUREG–0498 Supplement
1), dated April 1995 (ML081430592).
List of Agencies and Persons Consulted
and Identification of Sources Used
In accordance with Consultation
Procedures in Appendix D of NUREG–
1748, Environmental Review Guidance
for Licensing Actions Associated with
NMSS Programs, August 2003, on
September 30, 2010, the NRC staff
consulted with Ruben Crosslin of the
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34275
Tennessee Bureau of Radiological
Health, regarding this EA. The State
official had no comments on the draft
EA.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC reviewed the documents
submitted by TVA in support of its Part
70 license application for the WBN2
facility—including those incorporated
by reference from its part 50 operating
license application for the WBN2
facility—and found no significant
environmental impacts from the
proposed fresh fuel assembly storage
and handling. On the basis of this EA,
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 EIS for the
proposed action.
IV. Further Information
Documents related to this action,
including the application for license
and supporting documentation, are
available electronically at the NRC’s
Electronic Reading Room at https://
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
From this site, you can access the NRC’s
Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS), which
provides text and image files of NRC’s
public documents. The ADAMS
accession numbers for the documents
related to this Notice are:
TVA Application for a Special
Nuclear Material License for Watts Bar
Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Accordance
with 10 CFR part 70, ‘‘Domestic
Licensing of Special Nuclear Material,’’
dated November 12, 2009
(ML100120487).
TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
(WBN)—Unit 2—Final Safety Analysis
Report (FSAR), Amendment 93, dated
April 30, 2009 (ML091400067).
TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
(WBN)—Unit 2—Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for the
Completion and Operation of Watts Bar
Nuclear Plant Unit 2, dated June 2007
(ML080510469).
NRC Generic Environmental Impact
Statement, License Renewal of Nuclear
Plants, Main Report, Section 6.3—
Transportation, Table 9.1 Summary of
findings on NEPA issues for license
renewal of nuclear power plants
NUREG–1437, Volume 1, Addendum 1,
dated August 1999 (ML040690720).
NRC Final Environmental Statement
related to the operation of Watts Bar
Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2, dated April
1995 (ML081430592).
If you do not have access to ADAMS
or if there are problems in accessing the
documents located in ADAMS, contact
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 113 / Monday, June 13, 2011 / Notices
the NRC Public Document Room (PDR)
Reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301–
415–4737 or by e-mail to
pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed
electronically on the public computers
located at the NRC’s PDR, O1F21, 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 7th day
of June, 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert K. Johnson,
Chief Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Division
of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
[FR Doc. 2011–14559 Filed 6–10–11; 8:45 am]
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Advisory Committee on Reactor
Safeguards (ACRS), Meeting of the
ACRS Subcommittee on Digital
Instrumentation and Control Systems;
Notice of Meeting
The ACRS Subcommittee on Digital
Instrumentation and Control Systems
(DI&C) will hold a meeting on June 22,
2011, Room T–2B3, 11545 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland.
The entire meeting will be open to
public attendance.
The agenda for the subject meeting
shall be as follows:
Tuesday, June 7, 2011—8:30 a.m.
until 5 p.m.
The Subcommittee will hear a briefing
on the results and status of new NRC
nuclear power plant digital system
research activities which deal with
Inventory and Certification of digital
systems, operating experience for digital
systems, and analyzing failure models
for digital systems. The Subcommittee
will hear presentations by and hold
discussions with the Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research staff and other
interested persons regarding this matter.
The Subcommittee will gather
information, analyze relevant issues and
facts, and formulate proposed positions
and actions, as appropriate, for
deliberation by the Full Committee.
Members of the public desiring to
provide oral statements and/or written
comments should notify the Designated
Federal Official (DFO), Mrs. Christina
Antonescu (Telephone 301–415–6792 or
E-mail: Christina.Antonescu@nrc.gov)
five days prior to the meeting, if
possible, so that appropriate
arrangements can be made. Thirty-five
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hard copies of each presentation or
handout should be provided to the DFO
thirty minutes before the meeting. In
addition, one electronic copy of each
presentation should be e-mailed to the
DFO one day before the meeting. If an
electronic copy cannot be provided
within this timeframe, presenters
should provide the DFO with a CD
containing each presentation at least
thirty minutes before the meeting.
Electronic recordings will be permitted
only during those portions of the
meeting that are open to the public.
Detailed procedures for the conduct of
and participation in ACRS meetings
were published in the Federal Register
on October 21, 2010 (75 FR 65038–
65039).
Detailed meeting agendas and meeting
transcripts are available on the NRC
Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/acrs. Information
regarding topics to be discussed,
changes to the agenda, whether the
meeting has been canceled or
rescheduled, and the time allotted to
present oral statements can be obtained
from the Web site cited above or by
contacting the identified DFO.
Moreover, in view of the possibility that
the schedule for ACRS meetings may be
adjusted by the Chairman as necessary
to facilitate the conduct of the meeting,
persons planning to attend should check
with these references if such
rescheduling would result in a major
inconvenience.
If attending this meeting, please
contact Ms. Jessie Delgado (Telephone
301–415–7360) to be escorted to the
meeting room.
Dated: June 6, 2011.
Yoira Diaz-Sanabria,
Acting Chief, Reactor Safety Branch B,
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2011–14550 Filed 6–10–11; 8:45 am]
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Advisory Committee on Reactor
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ACRS Subcommittee on Advanced
Boiling Water Reactor; Notice of
Meeting
The ACRS Subcommittee on
Advanced Boiling Water Reactor
(ABWR) will hold a meeting on June 21,
2011, Room T–2B1, 11545 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, MD.
The entire meeting will be open to
public attendance, with the exception of
a portion that may be closed to protect
information that is security related or
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proprietary pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
552b(c)(4).
The agenda for the subject meeting
shall be as follows: June 21, 2011—8:30
a.m. until 5p.m.
The Subcommittee will review
selected Chapters of the Safety
Evaluation Report (SER) with no open
items, and selected action items
resulting from prior ACRS reviews
associated with the Combined License
Application (COLA) for the South Texas
Project (STP) Units 3 and 4. The
Subcommittee will hear presentations
by and hold discussions with the NRC
staff, Nuclear Innovation North America
(NINA), and other interested persons.
The Subcommittee will gather
information, analyze relevant issues and
facts, and formulate proposed positions
and actions, as appropriate, for
deliberation by the Full Committee.
Members of the public desiring to
provide oral statements and/or written
comments should notify the Designated
Federal Official (DFO), Ms. Maitri
Banerjee (Telephone 301–415–6973 or
E-mail: Maitri.Banerjee@nrc.gov) five
days prior to the meeting, if possible, so
that appropriate arrangements can be
made. Thirty five hard copies of each
presentation or handout should be
provided to the DFO thirty minutes
before the meeting. In addition, one
electronic copy of each presentation
should be emailed to the DFO one day
before meeting. If an electronic copy
cannot be provided within this
timeframe, presenters should provide
the DFO with a CD containing each
presentation at least thirty minutes
before the meeting. Electronic
recordings will be permitted only
during those portions of the meeting
that are open to the public. Detailed
procedures for the conduct of and
participation in ACRS meetings were
published in the Federal Register on
October 21, 2010, (75 FR 65038–65039).
Detailed meeting agendas and meeting
transcripts are available on the NRC
Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/acrs. Information
regarding topics to be discussed,
changes to the agenda, whether the
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E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM
13JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 113 (Monday, June 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34273-34276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14559]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 70-7018; NRC-2008-0369]
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for
Special Nuclear Material License Application From Tennessee Valley
Authority for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, Spring City, TN
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Publication of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary T. Adams, Senior Environmental
Engineer, Advanced Fuel Cycle, Enrichment, and Uranium Conversion
Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555. Telephone: 301-492-3113; Fax number: 301-492-
3359; E-mail: Mary.Adams@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the
issuance of a license to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), to authorize
the receipt, possession, inspection, and storage of special nuclear
material (SNM) in the form of 193 fresh fuel assemblies at TVA's Watts
Bar site in Spring City, TN. This license would be subject to the
requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
part 70. TVA plans to use this SNM in operating its proposed Watts Bar
Nuclear Plant, Unit 2 (WBN2). TVA's request for authorization to
operate WBN2 is the subject of a separate 10 CFR part 50 licensing
action being evaluated by the NRC. TVA's existing reactor at the Watts
Bar site, Unit 1 (WBN1), has operated since 1996.
The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA), set forth
below, in support of the SNM storage license, in accordance with 10 CFR
part 51 (Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing
and Related Regulatory Functions), which implements section 102(2) of
the National Environmental Policy Act
[[Page 34274]]
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq. Based on the EA, the
NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate regarding issuance of the SNM license.
II. Background
NEPA requires a Federal agency to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for any major federal action having the potential to
significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Consistent
with their responsibilities as Federal agencies under NEPA, both TVA
and NRC previously prepared EISs regarding the operation of Units 1 and
2 at the Watts Bar Nuclear site. Some of the relevant history in this
regard is briefly summarized below.
In 1978, the NRC published NUREG-0498, Final Environmental
Statement Related to the Operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit No.
1 and 2 (FES-OL). After safety issues were raised, TVA decided not to
pursue its WBN reactor licenses for several years. Regarding operation
of Unit 1, NRC prepared Supplement 1 to NUREG-0498 in April 1995
(ML081430592), to evaluate changes in environmental impacts that
occurred as a result of changes made in the WBN Plant design and
methods of operations after the 1978 FES-OL.
The TVA Final Supplemental EIS for Unit 2 was issued in June 2007
(ML080510469). The related Record of Decision by the TVA Board of
Directors was published in the Federal Register on August 15, 2007 (72
FR 45859), and the 2007 EIS was submitted to the NRC on February 15,
2008. Table 2-1 of the 2007 EIS provides a TVA summary of the potential
environmental effects of operating WBN2.
On March 4, 2009, pursuant to 10 CFR part 50, TVA submitted an
updated application to the NRC for a power reactor operating license
(OL) for WBN2 (ML090700378). The TVA Final Safety Analysis Report
(FSAR) supporting the WBN2 OL request was submitted to the NRC on April
30, 2009 (ML091400067).
On September 11, 2009 (74 FR at 46799), the NRC published a notice
of intent to prepare a second supplement to NUREG-0498--the NRC EIS for
WBN that was issued in 1978 and supplemented in 1995. NRC anticipates
that the draft of this second supplement will be published for public
comment in mid-2011. The scope of the EA below is limited to assessing
the potential impacts of the receipt, possession, inspection, and
storage of fresh reactor fuel at the Watts Bar site that would be used
to operate WBN2 if such authorization is later granted. The EA's scope
does not include completion of construction, or operation, of WBN2.
III. Environmental Assessment
Pursuant to 10 CFR part 70, Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear
Material, TVA applied for an SNM license by application dated November
12, 2009 (ML100120487). The license would authorize TVA to receive,
possess, inspect, and store SNM (in the form of 193 fully-assembled
fresh fuel assemblies) for potential future use in its proposed WBN2
reactor.
Description of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is to issue TVA a 10 CFR part 70 license
authorizing it to receive, possess, inspect, and store SNM in the form
of 193 fully-assembled fuel assemblies that would later form the
initial reactor core of WBN 2. The SNM in the fuel assemblies would be
enriched up to 5% in the isotope U-235. The fresh fuel assemblies for
WBN2 would be received and stored in areas common to WBN1 and WBN2.
Specifically, these assemblies would be stored either in the WBN1
storage racks within the WBN1 fuel storage vault, or in the WBN1 spent
fuel pool. TVA requested that its SNM license term last until June 30,
2013, or until it receives an OL for WBN2. The safety and environmental
reviews for the proposed WBN2 OL are not part of the proposed action
evaluated in this EA.
Need for the Proposed Action
TVA anticipates receiving the initial core of WBN 2 before NRC
would issue the OL for the Unit 2 reactor. TVA needs this SNM license
to authorize WBN 2 to receive, possess, inspect, and store the fresh
fuel during the time period before the OL is issued. If an OL is
issued, the OL would authorize use of the fresh fuel as well as the
receipt, possession, storage, and use of additional fresh fuel that
would be needed for operating WBN2. Thus, a separate Part 70 license
would no longer be required and would be terminated.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
TVA needs this SNM license to authorize WBN2 to receive, possess,
inspect, and store the fresh fuel assemblies during the time period
before the issuance of any WBN2 OL. An alternative to the proposed
action is for NRC not to issue the SNM license. In that case, TVA would
be unable to receive the fresh fuel for the initial WBN2 reactor core,
causing a start-up delay if the OL for WBN2 were later granted.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action and Alternatives
Section 1.3 of the November 12, 2009, SNM license application
describes the affected environment, including site geography,
demographics, meteorology, hydrology, and geology. The proposed
activity is limited to the receipt, possession, inspection, and storage
of SNM in the form of 193 fuel assemblies, and would have no
significant impact on any of these site features. Issuance of a license
to receive, possess, inspect, and store SNM in the form of 193 fresh
fuel assemblies at the Watts Bar site is thus not expected to have any
significant impact on the environment. Table 2-1 in TVA's 2007 EIS
provides a summary of the potential environmental effects of operating
WBN2. TVA's EIS considers the impacts of WBN2 operation, including
surface water quality; groundwater quality; aquatic ecology;
terrestrial quality; threatened and endangered species; wetlands;
natural areas; cultural resources; socioeconomics, environmental
justice, and land use; floodplains and flood risk; seismic effects;
climatology and meteorology; nuclear plant safety and security;
radiological effects; radiological waste; and spent fuel transportation
and storage. The impacts of the activities that would be authorized by
the SNM license are a very small part of the overall impacts of the
operation of WBN2.
As discussed above, the fresh fuel would be received and stored in
an existing auxiliary building containing a storage vault and a spent
fuel pool where WBN1 fuel is currently stored. The uranium in fresh
fuel decays primarily by alpha emission; alpha particles cannot escape
the fuel cladding, so there are no worker exposures or environmental
effluents from the alpha decay. Uranium also decays by spontaneous
fission at a very low rate, thereby generating neutrons that escape the
cladding and would result in an extremely low dose to an individual
standing close to the fuel. Although fresh fuel emits neutrons, the
neutrons do not become environmental effluents. There will be no change
to radioactive effluents that affect radiation exposures to plant
workers and members of the public because the WBN2 fuel is in the form
of sealed fuel rods in finished assemblies.
Part 20 of 10 CFR establishes standards for the protection of
workers and members of the public against ionizing radiation resulting
from activities conducted under licenses issued by the NRC. Under part
20, the
[[Page 34275]]
annual total effective dose equivalent must not exceed 1 mSv [0.1 rem]
(100 mrem/1 mSv) for members of the public. The effluent limits in 10
CFR part 20, Appendix B, ensure that the effluent discharges are kept
within the annual part 20 dose limits. In addition to meeting the
annual dose limits, an NRC licensee is required to have a program with
the goal of achieving doses that are as low as reasonably achievable
(ALARA). The worker protection and environmental protection programs
that are currently used for the receipt and storage of WBN1 fuel would
also be used for the receipt and storage of WBN2 fuel, and will ensure
that there would be no significant exposure to workers and members of
the public under the proposed action. Thus, the proposed action is not
expected to have a significant environmental impact.
The proposed action does not result in changes to land use or water
use, or result in changes to the quality or quantity of non-
radiological effluents. No changes to the National Pollution 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
Fishery Conservation and Management Act are expected from the receipt
and storage of fresh fuel at WBN2. There are no impacts to the air or
ambient air quality. There are no impacts to historical and cultural
resources. There would be no impact to socioeconomic resources.
Section 3.16 of TVA's 2007 EIS quantifies the impacts of
transportation of fresh fuel, enriched to 5% in the U-235 isotope.
Transport of the 193 fresh fuel assemblies from a fuel fabrication
facility would require approximately 20 truck trips. Un-irradiated new
fuel assemblies will be shipped in packages that comply with the
regulations in 10 CFR 71, Subpart E, Package Approval Standards. The
only human exposure from the shipment of fresh fuel assemblies would be
to those in direct view of the unpackaged assemblies and to assigned
truck drivers. The exposure in the cab of a fuel transport truck was
estimated to be 0.1 millirem per hour from neutrons, and exposure to
transportation personnel was estimated to be less than 1 millirem per
shipment. This level would not cause any significant health effects.
If WBN2 is licensed to operate, TVA would comply with all NRC,
State, and Federal requirements for the transport of un-irradiated
fuel, as it currently does for fuel deliveries to WBN1. Therefore,
based on the above, the NRC finds that the impacts of WBN2 fresh fuel
transport and delivery on human health and the environment would be
minimal.
An alternative to the proposed action is for NRC not to issue the
SNM license. In that case, TVA would be unable to receive, possess, and
store the fresh fuel until and unless NRC issues the OL for WBN2 under
10 CFR part 50, which would authorize these activities. Denial of the
SNM application would result in no change in current environmental
impacts.
Fuel Handling Accident Analyses
The November 12, 2009, SNM license application includes analyses of
three dropped fuel assembly accident scenarios and one dropped gate
scenario. These analyses are part of the TVA FSAR (Section 9.0,
Auxiliary Systems; 9.1, Fuel Storage and Handling; 9.1.1, New Fuel
Storage; Section 9.1 9.1.1.3, Safety Evaluation) supporting its part 50
application for a WBN2 OL (ML091400648), which TVA incorporated by
reference in its SNM license application. Therein, TVA described the
fresh fuel storage conditions and concluded that a criticality accident
during receipt, inspection, possession, and storage is not credible.
TVA determined, and NRC review confirmed, that there would be no
significant environmental impacts from these accident scenarios. The
radiation safety, criticality safety, and fire safety aspects of the
proposed activities are evaluated in chapters 3, 4, and 5,
respectively, of the Safety Evaluation Report supporting issuance of
the SNM license.
The NRC staff concluded that the proposed action to authorize WBN2
to receive, possess, inspect, and store fresh fuel under 10 CFR, part
70 would not significantly affect the environment.
Alternative Use of Resources
The proposed action does not involve the use of any different
resources than those considered in the NRC's Final Environmental
Statement for the WBN1 and WBN2, NUREG-0498, dated December 1978, and
the NRC's supplement to the Final Environmental Statement (NUREG-0498
Supplement 1), dated April 1995 (ML081430592).
List of Agencies and Persons Consulted and Identification of Sources
Used
In accordance with Consultation Procedures in Appendix D of NUREG-
1748, Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated
with NMSS Programs, August 2003, on September 30, 2010, the NRC staff
consulted with Ruben Crosslin of the Tennessee Bureau of Radiological
Health, regarding this EA. The State official had no comments on the
draft EA.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The NRC reviewed the documents submitted by TVA in support of its
Part 70 license application for the WBN2 facility--including those
incorporated by reference from its part 50 operating license
application for the WBN2 facility--and found no significant
environmental impacts from the proposed fresh fuel assembly storage and
handling. On the basis of this EA, 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 EIS
for the proposed action.
IV. Further Information
Documents related to this action, including the application for
license and supporting documentation, are available electronically at
the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and
image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for
the documents related to this Notice are:
TVA Application for a Special Nuclear Material License for Watts
Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Accordance with 10 CFR part 70, ``Domestic
Licensing of Special Nuclear Material,'' dated November 12, 2009
(ML100120487).
TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN)--Unit 2--Final Safety Analysis
Report (FSAR), Amendment 93, dated April 30, 2009 (ML091400067).
TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN)--Unit 2--Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for the Completion and Operation of
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2, dated June 2007 (ML080510469).
NRC Generic Environmental Impact Statement, License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants, Main Report, Section 6.3--Transportation, Table 9.1
Summary of findings on NEPA issues for license renewal of nuclear power
plants NUREG-1437, Volume 1, Addendum 1, dated August 1999
(ML040690720).
NRC Final Environmental Statement related to the operation of Watts
Bar Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2, dated April 1995 (ML081430592).
If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact
[[Page 34276]]
the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209,
301-415-4737 or by e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public
computers located at the NRC's PDR, O1F21, 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 7th day of June, 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert K. Johnson,
Chief Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
[FR Doc. 2011-14559 Filed 6-10-11; 8:45 am]
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