Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2 License Renewal, Hamilton County, Tennessee, 55723-55725 [2011-22800]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 174 / Thursday, September 8, 2011 / Notices
may undertake foreign travel in pursuit
of its studies and coordinate, sponsor, or
oversee projects, studies, events, or
other activities that it deems desirable
and necessary in fulfilling its functions.
The Commission consists of seven
members appointed by the President, by
and with the advice and consent of the
Senate. The members of the
Commission shall represent the public
interest and shall be selected from a
cross section of educational,
communications, cultural, scientific,
technical, public service, labor,
business, and professional backgrounds.
Not more than four members shall be
from any one political party. The
President designates a member to chair
the Commission.
The current members of the
Commission are: Mr. William Hybl of
Colorado, Chairman; Ambassador
Lyndon Olson of Texas, Vice Chairman;
Ambassador Penne Korth-Peacock of
Texas; Ms. Lezlee Westine of Virginia;
and, Mr. Sim Farar of California. Two
seats on the Commission are currently
vacant.
The following individual has been
nominated to the Commission but
awaits Senate confirmation as of this
writing: Anne Wedner of Illinois.
The Advisory Commission was
originally established under Section 604
of the United States Information and
Exchange Act of 1948, as amended (22
U.S.C. 1469) and Section 8 of
Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 of
1977. It was reauthorized pursuant to
Public Law 111–70 (2009), 22 U.S.C.
6553, and has been further authorized
through September 30, 2011.
This announcement might appear in
the Federal Register less than 15 days
prior to the meeting. The Department of
State finds that there is an exceptional
circumstance in that, given the pending
expiration of this advisory committee’s
authorization and the availability of the
speakers, the meeting must be held on
the date scheduled.
Dated: August 29, 2011.
Matthew C. Armstrong,
Executive Director, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2011–22978 Filed 9–7–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–11–P
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement, Sequoyah Nuclear
Plant Units 1 and 2 License Renewal,
Hamilton County, Tennessee
Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA).
ACTION: Issuance of Record of Decision.
AGENCY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:26 Sep 07, 2011
Jkt 223001
This notice is provided in
accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality’s regulations (40
CFR Parts 1500 to 1508) and TVA’s
procedures for implementing the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). TVA prepared the Final
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant
Units 1 and 2 License Renewal
(hereafter referred to as Sequoyah
License Renewal Final SEIS) to update
existing environmental information and
analyses for the continued operation of
the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (SQN) in
Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee. A notice of
availability (NOA) of the Sequoyah
License Renewal Final SEIS was
published in the Federal Register on
July 1, 2011. On August 18, 2011, the
TVA Board of Directors (TVA Board)
decided to proceed with an application
to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) to extend the
operation of SQN Units 1 and 2,
implementing the preferred alternative
(Alternative 1—SQN Units 1 and 2
License Renewal—Action Alternative)
identified in the Final SEIS.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy B. Henry, NEPA Specialist,
Environmental Permits and Compliance,
Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West
Summit Hill Drive, WT 11D, Knoxville,
Tennessee 37902–1499; telephone (865)
632–4045 or e-mail abhenry@tva.gov.
Gary M. Adkins, Sequoyah License
Renewal Project Manager, Nuclear
Generation Development and
Construction, Tennessee Valley
Authority, 1101 Market Street, LP 5A,
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402;
telephone (423) 751–4363 or e-mail
gmadkins@tva.gov.
TVA’s
Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), issued in
2011, forecasts increasing peak load and
net system electrical power
requirements through 2029. TVA has an
obligation to meet this need while
maintaining low-cost, reliable power for
consumers in its power service area. In
the IRP, TVA assumed for analytical
purposes that its existing nuclear plants,
including SQN, would continue to
operate throughout the IRP planning
period. Furthermore, the IRP establishes
targets for idling coal-fired generation
capacity and increasing the proportion
of energy TVA generates using nuclear
and renewable sources. The Sequoyah
License Renewal Final EIS incorporated
information and analyses from the IRP
process. Continued operation of SQN
Units 1 and 2 will help meet the
identified need for power, maximize use
of existing assets, and support TVA’s
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00082
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
55723
efforts to reduce the carbon emissions
from its generating system.
SQN is located along the
Chickamauga Reservoir, approximately
18 miles northeast of Chattanooga, in
Hamilton County, Tennessee. SQN
Units 1 and 2 are pressurized light water
reactors, each with a capacity of
approximately 1,200 megawatts of
electricity. SQN Units 1 and 2 received
commercial operating licenses in 1980
and June 1981, respectively. The current
operating licenses for SQN Units 1 and
2 expire in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
The Sequoyah License Renewal Final
SEIS supplements and updates the
original TVA Final Environmental
Statement, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant
Units 1 and 2, issued in February 1974.
TVA has decided to submit an
application to the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) to renew
the operating licenses for SQN Units 1
and 2. The NRC can grant renewals to
extend nuclear plant operating licenses
for an additional 20 years. To date, the
NRC has granted license renewals for
over 70 of the nation’s 104 operating
reactors in the United States, including
the three units at TVA’s Browns Ferry
Nuclear Plant.
The license renewal process requires
both a technical review of safety issues
and an environmental review. The
technical review must demonstrate that
the structures, systems, and components
will be adequately managed to ensure
safety during the plant’s extended
operation and subsequent
decommissioning. In addition to TVA’s
SEIS, the NRC will perform its own
environmental review to examine the
impacts of issuing renewed licenses for
SQN Units 1 and 2. The Sequoyah
License Renewal Final SEIS
incorporated information from the
NRC’s Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants (1996).
Renewal of the current operating
licenses would allow SQN to continue
supplying safe, clean, reliable, and costeffective base load power between 2020
and 2041. The license renewal program
would not require major new
construction, alterations, or
refurbishment to SQN, nor would it
require changes to operational limits or
permit requirements to comply with
current regulations. Other than the
continued normal operations, refueling,
and maintenance for an additional 20
years, no significant changes would be
needed to continue current operation of
SQN Units 1 and 2. Upon expiration of
operating licenses, SQN would be
decommissioned in accordance with
NRC regulations.
E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM
08SEN1
55724
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 174 / Thursday, September 8, 2011 / Notices
TVA stores some spent fuel from SQN
in an onsite ISFSI that is licensed by the
NRC. Spent fuel will be stored in the
ISFSI until the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) takes possession of the
spent fuel and removes it from the site
for permanent disposal or processing. If
the DOE does not take possession of the
spent fuel before 2026, expansion of the
onsite ISFSI may be required to support
SQN operations during the period of
license renewal.
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Public Involvement
TVA published a notice of intent to
prepare an SEIS in the Federal Register
on April 12, 2010. Comments received
from agencies, the public, and tribes
were considered during development of
the Draft SEIS. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) published
the NOA for the Draft SEIS in the
Federal Register on November 5, 2010.
TVA accepted comments on the draft
SEIS until December 22, 2010 and held
a public open house in Soddy-Daisy,
Tennessee, on December 2, 2010.
Comments about SEIS content, the
proposed action, and expressing support
or concerns about nuclear power
generation were received from nine
agencies and individuals. After
considering and responding to all
substantive comments, TVA completed
and issued the Final SEIS. The NOA of
the Final SEIS was published in the
Federal Register on July 1, 2011.
Alternatives Considered
In addition to renewing the SQN
operating licenses for an additional 20
years to meet future power demand
(Alternative 1), TVA reviewed options
that would require new generating
capacity and those that would not, as
well as combinations of options. TVA
considered the full range of supply-side
and demand-side actions identified in
TVA’s IRP. In the Sequoyah License
Renewal SEIS, TVA evaluated the
impacts of the Action Alternative and
the No Action Alternative. Relative to
SQN, the Action Alternative
(Alternative 1) is to pursue renewal of
the operating licenses, with the goal of
continuing SQN operation for an
additional 20 years. Under the No
Action Alternative (Alternative 2), TVA
would not pursue license renewal and
would shut down SQN Units 1 and 2 by
2020 and 2021, respectively.
Subsequently, TVA would need to rely
on alternate means to meet future power
demands. A model designed to forecast
an optimized capacity plan that
minimizes the cost of power indicated
that, initially, TVA would adjust the
operation of existing generating units to
meet demand. However, subsequent
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:26 Sep 07, 2011
Jkt 223001
increasing demands for capacity and
energy would require construction of
new generating units. The model
indicated two likely options, which
were evaluated as part of the No Action
Alternative:
• Alternative 2a—SQN Shutdown
and New Nuclear Generation
• Alternative 2b—SQN Shutdown
and New Natural Gas-Fired Generation
Alternative 1 was TVA’s preferred
alternative and was selected for
implementation by the TVA Board on
August 18, 2011.
Environmental Consequences
Analyses conducted for the SEIS
indicate that no significant impacts
would be expected as a result of
implementing Alternative 1. SQN is an
existing facility operating under NRC
licenses and has minimal impacts on
the environment. During the license
renewal period, SQN would continue
normal operations, refueling, and
maintenance in accordance with
appropriate operational limits and
permit requirements, which would also
result in minimal environmental
impacts. There would be no change to
the current level of minor impacts to
surface water supply and quality,
groundwater, aquatic biota, and air
quality. There would be no new direct
or indirect impacts to terrestrial habitat,
wildlife, land use, floodplains, or
aesthetics. The effects of SQN on local
socioeconomics and public services
would not change. All radioactive
effluents would be released in
accordance with applicable regulatory
limits, and would continue to have no
measureable impact to human health or
the environment. An additional 20 years
of operation would avoid the release of
millions of tons of greenhouse gases that
would be produced by alternative
generation strategies that include
increased fossil-fuel generation. While
greater total quantities of solid,
hazardous, and low-level radiological
waste would be generated and disposed
of in permitted landfills and storage
facilities, no substantive impacts would
occur. Continued operation of SQN
would result in greater amounts of spent
fuel and potential expansion of the site’s
ISFSI, both of which would result in
minor environmental impacts.
Decommissioning SQN would be
necessary whether the operating
licenses are renewed or not. TVA would
select a decommissioning method from
approved options at the appropriate
time. Decommissioning decisions and
actions would be taken sooner under the
No Action Alternative. Neither the
Action Alternative nor the No Action
Alternative would foreclose on
PO 00000
Frm 00083
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
decommissioning options, or result in
environmentally unacceptable
conditions.
Following the events at the
Fukushima (Japan) Daiichi Nuclear
Power Plant on March 11, 2011, TVA
initiated an effort to examine those
events with regard to insights they may
provide relative to emergency response
capabilities at TVA’s nuclear power
plants. That effort continues as detailed
information becomes known, but it has
already determined that a sequence of
events like the Fukushima accident is
unlikely to occur at any TVA plant.
Nonetheless, the effort has resulted in
some proposed enhancements to
emergency response procedures and
equipment, which are being further
evaluated. As a result of that on-going
effort, TVA expects to implement
strategies to further improve the safety
of all its operating nuclear power plants,
including SQN. Additionally, TVA will
comply with any new regulatory
requirements, orders, and policies
issued by the NRC, as applicable. Based
upon data presented in the Final SEIS
and subsequent analyses, TVA
concludes that the environmental risk of
a design-basis accident or severe
accident is minor, and that the results
of such accidents continue to be
accurately reflected in the Sequoyah
License Renewal Final SEIS.
In addition, the NRC’s (90-day) report,
Recommendations for Enhancing
Reactor Safety in the 21st Century: The
Near-Term Task Force Review of
Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi
Accident, concluded that continued
operation and continued licensing
activities associated with United States
nuclear power plants do not pose an
imminent risk to public health and
safety.
Comments on the Final SEIS
The Greater Nashville Regional
Council indicated the proposal to renew
SQN operating licenses is not
duplicative or in conflict with other
projects the Council has considered.
The Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation (TDEC),
Division of Water Supply, provided a
point of contact and requested
notification should any work be
performed in the source water
protection areas, or in the event of a
release to the river. While the Final SEIS
does not propose activities expected to
affect source water protection areas,
TVA routinely coordinates with TDEC
concerning activities at SQN and would
continue to do so should the NRC grant
renewed operating licenses.
Comments received from the USEPA
address the NRC’s 90-day report on the
E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM
08SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 174 / Thursday, September 8, 2011 / Notices
Fukushima Daiichi accident. The
USEPA commented that continued
operation and licensing activities for
SQN Units 1 and 2 should not pose an
imminent risk to public health and
safety. The USEPA also concurred with
the NRC’s conclusion that improving
the NRC’s regulatory framework is an
appropriate, realistic, and achievable
goal. TVA agrees that these comments
are consistent with conclusions of the
NRC 90-day report and TVA’s
examination of SQN current operations
and proposed operation under renewed
licenses. The USEPA also noted that,
should the NRC decide to recommend
moving spent fuel from pool to dry cask
storage sooner, TVA may need to
expand the SQN ISFSI sooner than
described in the FSEIS. TVA is
examining the benefits and feasibility of
more rapid transfer of spent fuel to dry
cask storage. If expansion of the existing
SQN ISFSI is needed sooner, the
environmental impacts would not differ
from those described in the FSEIS.
Finally, USEPA recommended that TVA
consider applying proposals of the NRC
90-day report to SQN Units 1 and 2.
TVA will consider applying proposals
of the NRC 90-day report to SQN Units
1 and 2. TVA will continue to evaluate
future NRC recommendations and to
meet all applicable regulatory
requirements that result from response
to the Fukushima events.
Decision
On August 18, 2011, the TVA Board
decided to proceed with an application
to extend the operating licenses for
Sequoyah Units 1 and 2 for an
additional 20 years and other such
actions as necessary to accomplish NRC
approval of the license renewal
application. Continuing to operate SQN
would provide the Tennessee Valley
with an additional 20 years of safe,
reliable, base load power while
promoting TVA’s efforts to reduce
carbon emissions, make beneficial use
of an existing asset, and deliver power
at the lowest feasible cost.
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Environmentally Preferred Alternative
The environmentally preferred
alternative is Alternative 1—SQN Units
1 and 2 License Renewal—Action
Alternative. The environmental impacts
of continued operation are minor. As an
existing plant, continued operation of
SQN would not result in additional
environmental impacts while
contributing to meeting the future
demands on the TVA system to supply
reliable energy with low carbon
emissions.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:26 Sep 07, 2011
Jkt 223001
Dated: August 31, 2011.
Preston D. Swafford,
Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice
President, Nuclear Generation.
[FR Doc. 2011–22800 Filed 9–7–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120–08–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA–2011–0099]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Request for Comments for a
New Information Collection
Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: 30-Day notice of submission of
information collection approval from
the Office of Management and Budget
and request for comments.
AGENCY:
As part of a Federal
Government-wide effort to streamline
the process to seek feedback from the
public on service delivery, FHWA has
submitted a Generic Information
Collection Request (Generic ICR):
‘‘Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service
Delivery ’’ to OMB for approval under
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
DATES: Please submit comments by
October 11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments
within 30 days to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget, 725
17th Street, NW., Washington, DC
20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer. You
are asked to comment on any aspect of
this information collection, including:
(1) Whether the proposed collection is
necessary for the FHWA’s performance;
(2) the accuracy of the estimated
burden; (3) ways for the FHWA to
enhance the quality, usefulness, and
clarity of the collected information; and
(4) ways that the burden could be
minimized, including the use of
electronic technology, without reducing
the quality of the collected information.
All comments should include the
Docket number FHWA–2011–0099.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Howell, 202–366–5707, Office
of Information and Management
Service, Federal Highway
Administration, Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00084
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
55725
Title: Generic Clearance for the
Collection of Qualitative Feedback on
Agency Service Delivery.
Background: The information
collection activity will garner
qualitative customer and stakeholder
feedback in an efficient, timely manner,
in accordance with the Administration’s
commitment to improving service
delivery. By qualitative feedback we
mean information that provides useful
insights on perceptions and opinions,
but are not statistical surveys that yield
quantitative results that can be
generalized to the population of study.
This feedback will provide insights into
customer or stakeholder perceptions,
experiences and expectations, provide
an early warning of issues with service,
or focus attention on areas where
communication, training or changes in
operations might improve delivery of
products or services. These collections
will allow for ongoing, collaborative and
actionable communications between the
Agency and its customers and
stakeholders. It will also allow feedback
to contribute directly to the
improvement of program management.
Feedback collected under this generic
clearance will provide useful
information, but it will not yield data
that can be generalized to the overall
population. This type of generic
clearance for qualitative information
will not be used for quantitative
information collections that are
designed to yield reliably actionable
results, such as monitoring trends over
time or documenting program
performance. Such data uses require
more rigorous designs that address: The
target population to which
generalizations will be made, the
sampling frame, the sample design
(including stratification and clustering),
the precision requirements or power
calculations that justify the proposed
sample size, the expected response rate,
methods for assessing potential nonresponse bias, the protocols for data
collection, and any testing procedures
that were or will be undertaken prior to
fielding the study. Depending on the
degree of influence the results are likely
to have, such collections may still be
eligible for submission for other generic
mechanisms that are designed to yield
quantitative results.
The FHWA received no comments in
response to the 60-day notice published
in the Federal Register of December 22,
2010 (75 FR 80542) [Page 17183].
Below we provide FHWA’s projected
average estimates for the next three
years:
Respondents: State and local
governments, highway industry
organizations, and the general public.
E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM
08SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 174 (Thursday, September 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55723-55725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22800]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, Sequoyah
Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2 License Renewal, Hamilton County, Tennessee
AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
ACTION: Issuance of Record of Decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 to 1508) and
TVA's procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). TVA prepared the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2 License Renewal
(hereafter referred to as Sequoyah License Renewal Final SEIS) to
update existing environmental information and analyses for the
continued operation of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (SQN) in Soddy-Daisy,
Tennessee. A notice of availability (NOA) of the Sequoyah License
Renewal Final SEIS was published in the Federal Register on July 1,
2011. On August 18, 2011, the TVA Board of Directors (TVA Board)
decided to proceed with an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) to extend the operation of SQN Units 1 and 2,
implementing the preferred alternative (Alternative 1--SQN Units 1 and
2 License Renewal--Action Alternative) identified in the Final SEIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy B. Henry, NEPA Specialist,
Environmental Permits and Compliance, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400
West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11D, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499;
telephone (865) 632-4045 or e-mail abhenry@tva.gov.
Gary M. Adkins, Sequoyah License Renewal Project Manager, Nuclear
Generation Development and Construction, Tennessee Valley Authority,
1101 Market Street, LP 5A, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402; telephone
(423) 751-4363 or e-mail gmadkins@tva.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: TVA's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), issued
in 2011, forecasts increasing peak load and net system electrical power
requirements through 2029. TVA has an obligation to meet this need
while maintaining low-cost, reliable power for consumers in its power
service area. In the IRP, TVA assumed for analytical purposes that its
existing nuclear plants, including SQN, would continue to operate
throughout the IRP planning period. Furthermore, the IRP establishes
targets for idling coal-fired generation capacity and increasing the
proportion of energy TVA generates using nuclear and renewable sources.
The Sequoyah License Renewal Final EIS incorporated information and
analyses from the IRP process. Continued operation of SQN Units 1 and 2
will help meet the identified need for power, maximize use of existing
assets, and support TVA's efforts to reduce the carbon emissions from
its generating system.
SQN is located along the Chickamauga Reservoir, approximately 18
miles northeast of Chattanooga, in Hamilton County, Tennessee. SQN
Units 1 and 2 are pressurized light water reactors, each with a
capacity of approximately 1,200 megawatts of electricity. SQN Units 1
and 2 received commercial operating licenses in 1980 and June 1981,
respectively. The current operating licenses for SQN Units 1 and 2
expire in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The Sequoyah License Renewal
Final SEIS supplements and updates the original TVA Final Environmental
Statement, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2, issued in February
1974.
TVA has decided to submit an application to the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) to renew the operating licenses for SQN
Units 1 and 2. The NRC can grant renewals to extend nuclear plant
operating licenses for an additional 20 years. To date, the NRC has
granted license renewals for over 70 of the nation's 104 operating
reactors in the United States, including the three units at TVA's
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant.
The license renewal process requires both a technical review of
safety issues and an environmental review. The technical review must
demonstrate that the structures, systems, and components will be
adequately managed to ensure safety during the plant's extended
operation and subsequent decommissioning. In addition to TVA's SEIS,
the NRC will perform its own environmental review to examine the
impacts of issuing renewed licenses for SQN Units 1 and 2. The Sequoyah
License Renewal Final SEIS incorporated information from the NRC's
Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear
Plants (1996).
Renewal of the current operating licenses would allow SQN to
continue supplying safe, clean, reliable, and cost-effective base load
power between 2020 and 2041. The license renewal program would not
require major new construction, alterations, or refurbishment to SQN,
nor would it require changes to operational limits or permit
requirements to comply with current regulations. Other than the
continued normal operations, refueling, and maintenance for an
additional 20 years, no significant changes would be needed to continue
current operation of SQN Units 1 and 2. Upon expiration of operating
licenses, SQN would be decommissioned in accordance with NRC
regulations.
[[Page 55724]]
TVA stores some spent fuel from SQN in an onsite ISFSI that is
licensed by the NRC. Spent fuel will be stored in the ISFSI until the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) takes possession of the spent fuel and
removes it from the site for permanent disposal or processing. If the
DOE does not take possession of the spent fuel before 2026, expansion
of the onsite ISFSI may be required to support SQN operations during
the period of license renewal.
Public Involvement
TVA published a notice of intent to prepare an SEIS in the Federal
Register on April 12, 2010. Comments received from agencies, the
public, and tribes were considered during development of the Draft
SEIS. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published the
NOA for the Draft SEIS in the Federal Register on November 5, 2010. TVA
accepted comments on the draft SEIS until December 22, 2010 and held a
public open house in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, on December 2, 2010.
Comments about SEIS content, the proposed action, and expressing
support or concerns about nuclear power generation were received from
nine agencies and individuals. After considering and responding to all
substantive comments, TVA completed and issued the Final SEIS. The NOA
of the Final SEIS was published in the Federal Register on July 1,
2011.
Alternatives Considered
In addition to renewing the SQN operating licenses for an
additional 20 years to meet future power demand (Alternative 1), TVA
reviewed options that would require new generating capacity and those
that would not, as well as combinations of options. TVA considered the
full range of supply-side and demand-side actions identified in TVA's
IRP. In the Sequoyah License Renewal SEIS, TVA evaluated the impacts of
the Action Alternative and the No Action Alternative. Relative to SQN,
the Action Alternative (Alternative 1) is to pursue renewal of the
operating licenses, with the goal of continuing SQN operation for an
additional 20 years. Under the No Action Alternative (Alternative 2),
TVA would not pursue license renewal and would shut down SQN Units 1
and 2 by 2020 and 2021, respectively. Subsequently, TVA would need to
rely on alternate means to meet future power demands. A model designed
to forecast an optimized capacity plan that minimizes the cost of power
indicated that, initially, TVA would adjust the operation of existing
generating units to meet demand. However, subsequent increasing demands
for capacity and energy would require construction of new generating
units. The model indicated two likely options, which were evaluated as
part of the No Action Alternative:
Alternative 2a--SQN Shutdown and New Nuclear Generation
Alternative 2b--SQN Shutdown and New Natural Gas-Fired
Generation
Alternative 1 was TVA's preferred alternative and was selected for
implementation by the TVA Board on August 18, 2011.
Environmental Consequences
Analyses conducted for the SEIS indicate that no significant
impacts would be expected as a result of implementing Alternative 1.
SQN is an existing facility operating under NRC licenses and has
minimal impacts on the environment. During the license renewal period,
SQN would continue normal operations, refueling, and maintenance in
accordance with appropriate operational limits and permit requirements,
which would also result in minimal environmental impacts. There would
be no change to the current level of minor impacts to surface water
supply and quality, groundwater, aquatic biota, and air quality. There
would be no new direct or indirect impacts to terrestrial habitat,
wildlife, land use, floodplains, or aesthetics. The effects of SQN on
local socioeconomics and public services would not change. All
radioactive effluents would be released in accordance with applicable
regulatory limits, and would continue to have no measureable impact to
human health or the environment. An additional 20 years of operation
would avoid the release of millions of tons of greenhouse gases that
would be produced by alternative generation strategies that include
increased fossil-fuel generation. While greater total quantities of
solid, hazardous, and low-level radiological waste would be generated
and disposed of in permitted landfills and storage facilities, no
substantive impacts would occur. Continued operation of SQN would
result in greater amounts of spent fuel and potential expansion of the
site's ISFSI, both of which would result in minor environmental
impacts.
Decommissioning SQN would be necessary whether the operating
licenses are renewed or not. TVA would select a decommissioning method
from approved options at the appropriate time. Decommissioning
decisions and actions would be taken sooner under the No Action
Alternative. Neither the Action Alternative nor the No Action
Alternative would foreclose on decommissioning options, or result in
environmentally unacceptable conditions.
Following the events at the Fukushima (Japan) Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant on March 11, 2011, TVA initiated an effort to examine those
events with regard to insights they may provide relative to emergency
response capabilities at TVA's nuclear power plants. That effort
continues as detailed information becomes known, but it has already
determined that a sequence of events like the Fukushima accident is
unlikely to occur at any TVA plant. Nonetheless, the effort has
resulted in some proposed enhancements to emergency response procedures
and equipment, which are being further evaluated. As a result of that
on-going effort, TVA expects to implement strategies to further improve
the safety of all its operating nuclear power plants, including SQN.
Additionally, TVA will comply with any new regulatory requirements,
orders, and policies issued by the NRC, as applicable. Based upon data
presented in the Final SEIS and subsequent analyses, TVA concludes that
the environmental risk of a design-basis accident or severe accident is
minor, and that the results of such accidents continue to be accurately
reflected in the Sequoyah License Renewal Final SEIS.
In addition, the NRC's (90-day) report, Recommendations for
Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century: The Near-Term Task Force
Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident, concluded that
continued operation and continued licensing activities associated with
United States nuclear power plants do not pose an imminent risk to
public health and safety.
Comments on the Final SEIS
The Greater Nashville Regional Council indicated the proposal to
renew SQN operating licenses is not duplicative or in conflict with
other projects the Council has considered. The Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Division of Water Supply, provided
a point of contact and requested notification should any work be
performed in the source water protection areas, or in the event of a
release to the river. While the Final SEIS does not propose activities
expected to affect source water protection areas, TVA routinely
coordinates with TDEC concerning activities at SQN and would continue
to do so should the NRC grant renewed operating licenses.
Comments received from the USEPA address the NRC's 90-day report on
the
[[Page 55725]]
Fukushima Daiichi accident. The USEPA commented that continued
operation and licensing activities for SQN Units 1 and 2 should not
pose an imminent risk to public health and safety. The USEPA also
concurred with the NRC's conclusion that improving the NRC's regulatory
framework is an appropriate, realistic, and achievable goal. TVA agrees
that these comments are consistent with conclusions of the NRC 90-day
report and TVA's examination of SQN current operations and proposed
operation under renewed licenses. The USEPA also noted that, should the
NRC decide to recommend moving spent fuel from pool to dry cask storage
sooner, TVA may need to expand the SQN ISFSI sooner than described in
the FSEIS. TVA is examining the benefits and feasibility of more rapid
transfer of spent fuel to dry cask storage. If expansion of the
existing SQN ISFSI is needed sooner, the environmental impacts would
not differ from those described in the FSEIS. Finally, USEPA
recommended that TVA consider applying proposals of the NRC 90-day
report to SQN Units 1 and 2. TVA will consider applying proposals of
the NRC 90-day report to SQN Units 1 and 2. TVA will continue to
evaluate future NRC recommendations and to meet all applicable
regulatory requirements that result from response to the Fukushima
events.
Decision
On August 18, 2011, the TVA Board decided to proceed with an
application to extend the operating licenses for Sequoyah Units 1 and 2
for an additional 20 years and other such actions as necessary to
accomplish NRC approval of the license renewal application. Continuing
to operate SQN would provide the Tennessee Valley with an additional 20
years of safe, reliable, base load power while promoting TVA's efforts
to reduce carbon emissions, make beneficial use of an existing asset,
and deliver power at the lowest feasible cost.
Environmentally Preferred Alternative
The environmentally preferred alternative is Alternative 1--SQN
Units 1 and 2 License Renewal--Action Alternative. The environmental
impacts of continued operation are minor. As an existing plant,
continued operation of SQN would not result in additional environmental
impacts while contributing to meeting the future demands on the TVA
system to supply reliable energy with low carbon emissions.
Dated: August 31, 2011.
Preston D. Swafford,
Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President, Nuclear Generation.
[FR Doc. 2011-22800 Filed 9-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P
