STP Nuclear Operating Company, South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, 62861-62862 [2011-26181]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 11, 2011 / Notices
62861
ATTACHMENT 1—GENERAL TARGET SCHEDULE FOR PROCESSING AND RESOLVING REQUESTS FOR ACCESS TO SENSITIVE
UNCLASSIFIED NON-SAFEGUARDS INFORMATION IN THIS PROCEEDING—Continued
Day
Event/activity
A + 28 .......
Deadline for submission of contentions whose development depends upon access to SUNSI. However, if more than 25 days remain between the petitioner’s receipt of (or access to) the information and the deadline for filing all other contentions (as established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hearing), the petitioner may file its SUNSI contentions by that later deadline.
(Contention receipt +25) Answers to contentions whose development depends upon access to SUNSI.
(Answer receipt +7) Petitioner/Intervenor reply to answers.
Decision on contention admission.
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[FR Doc. 2011–26172 Filed 10–7–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50–498 and 50–499; NRC–
2011–0238]
STP Nuclear Operating Company,
South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2;
Environmental Assessment and
Finding of No Significant Impact
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), part 50, Section 50.46
‘‘Acceptance criteria for emergency core
cooling systems [ECCSs] for light-water
nuclear power reactors,’’ and Appendix
K to 10 CFR Part 50, ‘‘ECCS Evaluation
Models,’’ to allow the use of Optimized
ZIRLOTM fuel rod cladding in future
core reload applications for South Texas
Project (STP), Units 1 and 2, Facility
Operating License Nos. NPF–76 and
NPF–80, respectively, issued to STP
Nuclear Operating Company (the
licensee) for operation of STP, Units 1
and 2, located Matagorda County, Texas.
Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21,
the NRC is issuing this environmental
assessment and finding of no significant
impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action:
The proposed action would issue an
exemption from Section 50.46 and
Appendix K to 10 CFR 50, regarding
fuel cladding material, and revise the
Technical Specifications document,
which is part of the Facility Operating
Licenses for STP, Units 1 and 2, to
permit use of Optimized ZIRLOTM fuel.
The NRC staff has previously issued an
exemption to STP, Units 1 and 2, to
allow use of up to eight lead test
assemblies (LTAs) containing fuel rods
with Optimized ZIRLOTM cladding (69
FR 64113; November 3, 2004).
Westinghouse has provided the NRC
staff with information related to test
data and models for the LTAs. LTA
VerDate Mar<15>2010
20:47 Oct 07, 2011
Jkt 226001
measured data and favorable results
from visual examinations of once, twice,
and thrice-burned LTAs confirm, for
three cycles of operation, that the
current performance models are
applicable for Optimized ZIRLOTM clad
fuel rods. The purpose of this
exemption request is to allow fuel rods
with Optimized ZIRLOTM cladding to be
used in future core reloads for STP,
Units 1 and 2.
The proposed action is in accordance
with the licensee’s application dated
December 21, 2010, which is publicly
available in the Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS) under Accession No.
ML103630408.
The Need for the Proposed Action:
The proposed action is needed
because the regulation in 10 CFR 50.46
contains acceptance criteria for the
ECCS for reactors that have fuel rods
clad either with Zircaloy or ZIRLO.
Appendix K to 10 CFR part 50,
paragraph I.A.5, requires the Baker-Just
equation to be used to predict the rates
of energy release, hydrogen
concentration, and cladding oxidation
for the metal-water reaction. The BakerJust equation assumed the use of a
zirconium alloy different than
Optimized ZIRLOTM; therefore, an
exemption is required.
Environmental Impacts of the
Proposed Action:
The NRC has completed its evaluation
of the proposed action and concludes
that the exemption does not present
undue risk to public health and safety,
and is consistent with common defense
and security.
The proposed action will not
significantly increase the probability or
consequences of accidents. No changes
are being made in the types of effluents
that may be released offsite. There is no
significant increase in the amount of
any effluent released offsite. There is no
significant increase in occupational or
public radiation exposure. Therefore,
there are no significant radiological
environmental impacts associated with
the proposed action.
Based on the nature of the exemption,
the proposed action does not result in
PO 00000
Frm 00107
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 Act are expected. There are no
impacts to the air or ambient air quality.
There are no impacts to historic and
cultural resources. There would be no
noticeable effect on socioeconomic
conditions in the region.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that
there are no significant 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 staff considered denial
of the proposed actions (i.e., the ‘‘noaction’’ alternative). Denial of the
application would result in no change
in current environmental impacts. Thus,
the environmental impacts of the
proposed actions and the alternative
action are similar.
Alternative Use of Resources:
The action does not involve the use of
any different resources than those
previously considered in the Final
Environmental Statement for the STP,
Units 1 and 2, NUREG–1171, dated
August 1986.
Agencies and Persons Consulted:
In accordance with its stated policy,
on September 1, 2011, the staff
consulted with the Texas State official
regarding the environmental impact of
the proposed action. The State official
had no comments.
Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of the environmental
assessment, 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.
E:\FR\FM\11OCN1.SGM
11OCN1
62862
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 11, 2011 / Notices
For further details with respect to the
proposed action, see the licensee’s letter
dated December 21, 2010. Documents
may be examined, and/or copied for a
fee, at the NRC’s Public Document
Room (PDR), located at One White Flint
North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville,
Maryland. Publicly available documents
created or received at the NRC are
accessible electronically through
ADAMS in the NRC Library at https://
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 PDR
Reference staff by telephone at 1–800–
397–4209 or 301–415–4737, or send an
e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day
of October 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Balwant K. Singal,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing
Branch IV, Division of Operating Reactor
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2011–26181 Filed 10–7–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2011–0226]
Notice; Applications and Amendments
to Facility Operating Licenses
Involving Proposed No Significant
Hazards Considerations and
Containing Sensitive Unclassified NonSafeguards Information and Order
Imposing Procedures for Access to
Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of license amendment
request, opportunity to comment,
opportunity to request a hearing.
AGENCY:
Comments must be filed by
November 10, 2011. A request for a
hearing must be filed by December 12,
2011. Any potential party as defined in
Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) 2.4 who believes
access to Sensitive Unclassified NonSafeguards Information is necessary to
respond to this notice must request
document access by October 21, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Please include Docket ID
NRC–2011–0226 in the subject line of
your comments. For additional
instructions on submitting comments
and instructions on accessing
documents related to this action, see
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
DATES:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
20:47 Oct 07, 2011
Jkt 226001
‘‘Submitting Comments and Accessing
Information’’ in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
You may submit comments by any one
of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web Site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for documents filed under Docket ID
NRC–2011–0226. Address questions
about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher,
telephone: 301–492–3668; e-mail:
Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov.
• Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey,
Chief, Rules, Announcements, and
Directives Branch (RADB), Office of
Administration, Mail Stop: TWB–05–
B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001.
• Fax comments to: RADB at 301–
492–3446.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Submitting Comments and Accessing
Information
Comments submitted in writing or in
electronic form will be posted on the
NRC Web site and on the Federal
rulemaking Web site, https://
www.regulations.gov. Because your
comments will not be edited to remove
any identifying or contact information,
the NRC cautions you against including
any information in your submission that
you do not want to be publicly
disclosed.
The NRC requests that any party
soliciting or aggregating comments
received from other persons for
submission to the NRC inform those
persons that the NRC will not edit their
comments to remove any identifying or
contact information, and therefore, they
should not include any information in
their comments that they do not want
publicly disclosed.
You can access publicly available
documents related to this document
using the following methods:
• NRC’s Public Document Room
(PDR): The public may examine and
have copied, for a fee, publicly available
documents at the NRC’s PDR, O1–F21,
One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): Publicly available documents
created or received at the NRC are
available online in the NRC Library at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. From this page, the public
can gain entry into ADAMS, which
provides text and image files of the
NRC’s public documents. If you do not
have access to ADAMS or if there are
problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS, contact the NRC’s
PDR reference staff at 1–800–397–4209,
PO 00000
Frm 00108
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
301–415–4737, or by e-mail to
pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
• Federal Rulemaking Web Site:
Public comments and supporting
materials related to this notice can be
found at https://www.regulations.gov by
searching on Docket ID NRC–2011–
0226.
Background
Pursuant to section 189a.(2) of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended
(the Act), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC or the Commission)
is publishing this notice. The Act
requires the Commission publish notice
of any amendments issued, or proposed
to be issued and grants the Commission
the authority to issue and make
immediately effective any amendment
to an operating license upon a
determination by the Commission that
such amendment involves no significant
hazards consideration, notwithstanding
the pendency before the Commission of
a request for a hearing from any person.
This notice includes notices of
amendments containing sensitive
unclassified non-safeguards information
(SUNSI).
Notice of Consideration of Issuance of
Amendments to Facility Operating
Licenses, Proposed No Significant
Hazards Consideration Determination,
and Opportunity for a Hearing
The Commission has made a
proposed determination that the
following amendment requests involve
no significant hazards consideration.
Under the Commission’s regulations in
10 CFR 50.92, this means that operation
of the facility in accordance with the
proposed amendment would not (1)
Involve a significant increase in the
probability or consequences of an
accident previously evaluated; (2) create
the possibility of a new or different kind
of accident from any accident
previously evaluated; or (3) involve a
significant reduction in a margin of
safety. The basis for this proposed
determination for each amendment
request is shown below.
The Commission is seeking public
comments on this proposed
determination. Any comments received
within 30 days after the date of
publication of this notice will be
considered in making any final
determination.
Normally, the Commission will not
issue the amendment until the
expiration of 60 days after the date of
publication of this notice. The
Commission may issue the license
amendment before expiration of the 60day period provided that its final
determination is that the amendment
E:\FR\FM\11OCN1.SGM
11OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62861-62862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-26181]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499; NRC-2011-0238]
STP Nuclear Operating Company, South Texas Project, Units 1 and
2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), part 50, Section 50.46 ``Acceptance criteria for
emergency core cooling systems [ECCSs] for light-water nuclear power
reactors,'' and Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50, ``ECCS Evaluation
Models,'' to allow the use of Optimized ZIRLO\TM\ fuel rod cladding in
future core reload applications for South Texas Project (STP), Units 1
and 2, Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-76 and NPF-80, respectively,
issued to STP Nuclear Operating Company (the licensee) for operation of
STP, Units 1 and 2, located Matagorda County, Texas. Therefore, as
required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this environmental
assessment and finding of no significant impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action:
The proposed action would issue an exemption from Section 50.46 and
Appendix K to 10 CFR 50, regarding fuel cladding material, and revise
the Technical Specifications document, which is part of the Facility
Operating Licenses for STP, Units 1 and 2, to permit use of Optimized
ZIRLO\TM\ fuel. The NRC staff has previously issued an exemption to
STP, Units 1 and 2, to allow use of up to eight lead test assemblies
(LTAs) containing fuel rods with Optimized ZIRLO\TM\ cladding (69 FR
64113; November 3, 2004). Westinghouse has provided the NRC staff with
information related to test data and models for the LTAs. LTA measured
data and favorable results from visual examinations of once, twice, and
thrice-burned LTAs confirm, for three cycles of operation, that the
current performance models are applicable for Optimized ZIRLO\TM\ clad
fuel rods. The purpose of this exemption request is to allow fuel rods
with Optimized ZIRLO\TM\ cladding to be used in future core reloads for
STP, Units 1 and 2.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated December 21, 2010, which is publicly available in the
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under
Accession No. ML103630408.
The Need for the Proposed Action:
The proposed action is needed because the regulation in 10 CFR
50.46 contains acceptance criteria for the ECCS for reactors that have
fuel rods clad either with Zircaloy or ZIRLO. Appendix K to 10 CFR part
50, paragraph I.A.5, requires the Baker-Just equation to be used to
predict the rates of energy release, hydrogen concentration, and
cladding oxidation for the metal-water reaction. The Baker-Just
equation assumed the use of a zirconium alloy different than Optimized
ZIRLO\TM\; therefore, an exemption is required.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that the exemption does not present undue risk to public
health and safety, and is consistent with common defense and security.
The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability
or consequences of accidents. No changes are being made in the types of
effluents that may be released offsite. There is no significant
increase in the amount of any effluent released offsite. There is no
significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure.
Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts
associated with the proposed action.
Based on the nature of the exemption, 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 Act are expected. There are no impacts to the air
or ambient air quality. There are no impacts to historic and cultural
resources. There would be no noticeable effect on socioeconomic
conditions in the region.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
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 staff considered
denial of the proposed actions (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
Denial of the application would result in no change in current
environmental impacts. Thus, the environmental impacts of the proposed
actions and the alternative action are similar.
Alternative Use of Resources:
The action does not involve the use of any different resources than
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for
the STP, Units 1 and 2, NUREG-1171, dated August 1986.
Agencies and Persons Consulted:
In accordance with its stated policy, on September 1, 2011, the
staff consulted with the Texas State official regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no
comments.
Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of the environmental assessment, 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.
[[Page 62862]]
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated December 21, 2010. Documents may be examined,
and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR),
located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
documents created or received at the NRC are accessible electronically
through ADAMS in the NRC Library at https://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 PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737,
or send an e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day of October 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Balwant K. Singal,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch IV, Division of
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2011-26181 Filed 10-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
