Production of Tritium in Commercial Light Water Reactors, 16653-16655 [2017-06463]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 5, 2017 / Notices
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Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.17
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–06684 Filed 4–4–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 9946]
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
In the Matter of the Designation of
Sami Bashur Bouras; Also Known as
Wakrici; Also Known as Khadim; as a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist
pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive
Order 13224, as Amended
Acting under the authority of and in
accordance with section 1(b) of
Executive Order 13224 of September 23,
2001, as amended by Executive Order
13268 of July 2, 2002, and Executive
Order 13284 of January 23, 2003, I
hereby determine that the individual
known as Sami Bashur Bouras, also
known as Wakrici, also known as
Khadim, committed, or poses a
significant risk of committing, acts of
terrorism that threaten the security of
U.S. nationals or the national security,
foreign policy, or economy of the United
States.
Consistent with the determination in
section 10 of Executive Order 13224 that
‘‘prior notice to persons determined to
be subject to the Order who might have
a constitutional presence in the United
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transfer funds instantaneously,’’ I
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the Order.
This notice shall be published in the
Federal Register.
17 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
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Dated: March 14, 2017.
Rex W. Tillerson,
Secretary of State.
[FR Doc. 2017–06653 Filed 4–4–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–10–P
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 9945]
In the Matter of the Designation of El
Shafee Elsheikh; Also Known as Shaf;
Also Known as Shafee; as a Specially
Designated Global Terrorist pursuant
to Section 1(b) of Executive Order
13224, as Amended
Acting under the authority of and in
accordance with section 1(b) of
Executive Order 13224 of September 23,
2001, as amended by Executive Order
13268 of July 2, 2002, and Executive
Order 13284 of January 23, 2003, I
hereby determine that the individual
known as El Shafee Elsheikh, also
known as Shaf, also known as Shafee,
committed, or poses a significant risk of
committing, acts of terrorism that
threaten the security of U.S. nationals or
the national security, foreign policy, or
economy of the United States.
Consistent with the determination in
section 10 of Executive Order 13224 that
‘‘prior notice to persons determined to
be subject to the Order who might have
a constitutional presence in the United
States would render ineffectual the
blocking and other measures authorized
in the Order because of the ability to
transfer funds instantaneously,’’ I
determine that no prior notice needs to
be provided to any person subject to this
determination who might have a
constitutional presence in the United
States, because to do so would render
ineffectual the measures authorized in
the Order.
This notice shall be published in the
Federal Register.
Dated: March 13, 2017.
Rex W. Tillerson,
Secretary of State.
[FR Doc. 2017–06651 Filed 4–4–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–10–P
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 9943]
E.O. 13224 Designation of Anjem
Choudary, aka Abu Luqman as a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist
Acting under the authority of and in
accordance with section 1(b) of
Executive Order 13224 of September 23,
2001, as amended by Executive Order
13268 of July 2, 2002, and Executive
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16653
Order 13284 of January 23, 2003, I
hereby determine that the person known
as Anjem Choudary, also known as Abu
Luqman, committed, or poses a
significant risk of committing, acts of
terrorism that threaten the security of
U.S. nationals or the national security,
foreign policy, or economy of the United
States. Consistent with the
determination in section 10 of Executive
Order 13224 that prior notice to persons
determined to be subject to the Order
who might have a constitutional
presence in the United States would
render ineffectual the blocking and
other measures authorized in the Order
because of the ability to transfer funds
instantaneously, I determine that no
prior notice needs to be provided to any
person subject to this determination
who might have a constitutional
presence in the United States, because
to do so would render ineffectual the
measures authorized in the Order.
This notice shall be published in the
Federal Register.
Dated: March 13, 2017.
Rex W. Tillerson,
Secretary of State.
[FR Doc. 2017–06647 Filed 4–4–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–AD–P
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Production of Tritium in Commercial
Light Water Reactors
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Record of decision.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
This notice is provided in
accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality’s regulations and
the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA)
procedures for implementing the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). TVA has decided to implement
the preferred alternative identified in
the Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (SEIS) for the
Production of Tritium in a Commercial
Light Water Reactor, issued March 4,
2016, prepared by the U.S. Department
of Energy National Nuclear Security
Administration (DOE/NNSA). The
decision allows for the production of
tritium using TVA reactors at both the
Watts Bar and Sequoyah sites in eastern
Tennessee and continues an interagency
agreement with DOE/NNSA under The
Economy Act to provide irradiation
services for producing tritium in TVA
light water reactors.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Higdon, Tennessee Valley
Authority, NEPA Specialist, 400 West
Summit Hill Drive (WT11D), Knoxville,
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 5, 2017 / Notices
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Tennessee 37902; telephone (865) 632–
8051; or email mshigdon@tva.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: TVA
adopted the Final SEIS on March 4,
2016 (81 FR 11557–11558) in
accordance with 40 CFR 1506.3. As a
cooperating agency, TVA provided
subject matter expertise, independent
review and evaluation, and close
coordination with DOE/NNSA during
the environmental review process,
including preparation of the Draft SEIS
and the Final SEIS. DOE/NNSA issued
a Record of Decision (ROD) based on the
Final SEIS on June 22, 2016 (81 FR
40685). By this notice, TVA is providing
notification of its decision and agency
reasoning.
Background
The DOE is responsible for supplying
nuclear materials for national security
needs and ensuring that the nuclear
weapons stockpile remains safe and
reliable. Tritium, a radioactive isotope
of hydrogen, is an essential component
of every weapon in the current and
projected U.S. nuclear weapons
stockpile. Unlike other nuclear
materials used in nuclear weapons,
tritium decays at a rate of 5.5 percent
per year. Accordingly, as long as the
Nation relies on a nuclear deterrent, the
tritium in each nuclear weapon must be
replenished periodically.
In March 1999, DOE/NNSA published
the Final EIS for Production of Tritium
in a Commercial Light Water Reactor,
which addressed the proposed
interagency agreement with TVA to
produce tritium at TVA reactors using
tritium-producing burnable absorber
rods (TPBARs). In May 1999, DOE
published the ROD for the 1999 EIS,
identifying its decision to implement
the agreement for tritium production at
the Watts Bar Unit 1 reactor (Watts Bar
1) in Rhea County, Tennessee, and
Sequoyah Units 1 and 2 reactors
(Sequoyah 1 and 2) in Hamilton County,
Tennessee. Under the proposal, TVA
would irradiate up to 3,400 TPBARs per
reactor per fuel cycle, which lasts about
18 months. The agreement was needed
by DOE/NNSA because at the time the
U.S. nuclear weapons complex did not
have the capability to produce the
amounts of tritium that were needed to
support the Nation’s current and future
nuclear weapons stockpile.
Following the environmental review,
an agreement with DOE/NNSA was
approved by the TVA Board of Directors
in late 1999 and, in May 2000, TVA
issued a ROD and adopted the DOE/
NNSA’s EIS (65 FR 26259). In 2000,
TVA entered into an interagency
agreement with DOE/NNSA under The
Economy Act to provide irradiation
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services for producing tritium in TVA
light water reactors through November
2035.
In explaining its decision in the ROD,
TVA noted that the preamble to the
TVA Act of 1933 identifies national
defense as one of the purposes for its
enactment, that Sections 15d(h) and 31
of the TVA Act declare that the Act
should be liberally construed to aid
TVA in discharging its responsibilities
for the advancement of national defense,
and that there have been numerous
occasions on which TVA supported the
Nation’s defense efforts. In the ROD,
TVA stated that this mandate to support
the national defense was among the
factors for consideration in approving
the production of tritium.
TVA received license amendments
from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) in 2002 to produce
tritium in Watts Bar 1 reactor and both
Sequoyah reactors and has been
producing tritium at the Watts Bar 1
reactor since 2003 (TVA has not
produced tritium in Sequoyah 1 or 2;
that has remained a viable option).
Since 2003, irradiation experience at
Watts Bar has shown that the
permeation rate per TPBAR per year has
been higher than the estimate that was
included and analyzed in the 1999 EIS
by DOE/NNSA. In the 1999 EIS, DOE/
NNSA estimated that tritium permeated
through the wall of the TPBARs into the
reactor coolant at a rate of one curie per
TPBAR per year. However, experience
at Watts Bar has shown that the actual
permeation rate is 3–4 curies per
TPBAR per year (there are
approximately 10,000 curies of tritium
produced by a TPBAR). The higherthan-expected permeation rate has
resulted in limitations on the number of
TPBARs that TVA can irradiate in its
reactors to meet DOE/NNSA’s projected
tritium requirements. Watts Bar Unit 2
(Watts Bar 2), which began commercial
operation in late 2016, is not currently
licensed for tritium production.
DOE/NNSA initiated the SEIS in 2011
to supplement its previous analysis to
address the higher rates of permeation
of tritium from TPBARs at TVA sites
and to evaluate increasing tritium
production quantities to meet
requirements. In the SEIS analysis,
DOE/NNSA used a conservative (i.e.,
bounding) estimate of tritium
permeation rate, as well as a
conservative interpretation of the DOE/
NNSA’s revised estimate of the
maximum number of TPBARs necessary
to support current tritium supply
requirements.
Six alternatives were analyzed in the
SEIS, including alternatives to utilize
Watts Bar 2. The No Action Alternative
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Sfmt 4703
assumed irradiation of up to a total of
2,040 TPBARs every 18 months using
Watts Bar 1 and Sequoyah 1 and 2. This
alternative was based on the estimate in
the 1999 EIS that a maximum of 3,400
curies of tritium would be released from
any reactor in a given year, combined
with an assumption of a conservative
release of 5 curies for each TPBAR
annually, or a total of 680 TPBARs in
any given reactor. Alternatives 1 and 2
assumed TVA would irradiate up to a
total of 2,500 TPBARs every 18 months
at only one site—only at the Watts Bar
site under Alternative 1 and only at the
Sequoyah site under Alternative 2.
Alternative 3 assumed TVA would
irradiate up to a total of 2,500 TPBARs
every 18 months using both the Watts
Bar and Sequoyah sites. Alternatives 4
and 5 assumed TVA would irradiate up
to a total of 5,000 TPBARs every 18
months at only one site—only at the
Watts Bar site using Watts Bar 1 and 2
under Alternative 4 and only at the
Sequoyah site using Sequoyah 1 and 2
under Alternative 5.
In its Final SEIS, DOE/NNSA
identified Alternative 6 as the preferred
alternative. Under this alternative, TVA
would irradiate up to a total of 5,000
TPBARs every 18 months using both the
Sequoyah and Watts Bar sites. Because
TVA would irradiate a maximum of
2,500 TPBARs in any one reactor, one
or both reactors at each of the sites may
be involved. In discussing its
preference, DOE/NNSA acknowledged
that while the irradiation of a total of
2,500 TPBARs every 18 months is likely
to continue to meet near-term national
security requirements, implementing
Alternative 6 provides DOE/NNSA with
the greatest flexibility to address
potential future scenarios because it
encompasses the full numerical range of
TPBARs that could, under any currently
foreseeable circumstances, be irradiated
in an 18-month period at the TVA
reactors to satisfy national security
requirements.
Environmental Consequences
In the SEIS, DOE/NNSA provided
supplemental analysis of the potential
impacts of each alternative on land use,
aesthetics, climate and air quality,
geology and soils, water resources,
biological resources, cultural resources,
transportation, infrastructure and
utilities, socioeconomics and
environmental justice, and human
health and safety. Also addressed were
impacts associated with potential
accidents and intentional destructive
acts and those associated with waste
and spent nuclear fuel management.
The potential environmental impacts of
each alternative are summarized for
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 5, 2017 / Notices
comparison in the Summary and
Section 2.5 of the Final SEIS.
The key findings of the SEIS are (1)
Tritium releases from normal operations
with TPBAR irradiation would have an
insignificant impact on the health of
workers and the public; (2) tritium
releases from TPBAR irradiation would
increase tritium concentrations in the
Tennessee River in comparison with not
irradiating TPBARs; however, the
tritium concentration at any drinking
water intake would remain well below
the maximum permissible
Environmental Protection Agency
drinking water limit of 20,000
picocuries per liter; (3) TPBAR
irradiation would not have a significant
adverse impact on the operation and
safety of TVA reactor facilities, and the
potential risks from accidents would
remain essentially the same whether
TPBARs were irradiated in a TVA
reactor or not; and (4) irradiation of
2,500 TPBARs in a single reactor would
increase spent nuclear fuel generation
by about 24 percent per fuel cycle and
irradiation of 5,000 TPBARs at a single
site would increase spent nuclear fuel
generation at either Watts Bar or
Sequoyah by about 48 percent per fuel
cycle; however, TVA has a plan to
manage the increased volume of spent
nuclear fuel assemblies.
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
In its June 2016 ROD, DOE/NNSA
identified the No Action Alternative as
the environmentally preferable
alternative after considering the
potential impacts to each resource area
by alternative. TVA concurs with this
determination. Fewer environmental
impacts would result from the No
Action Alternative because the
alternative would have the lowest
limiting value considered for the total
number of TPBARs proposed to be
irradiated (no more than 2,040 TPBARs
every 18 months).
Decision
In its June 2016 ROD, DOE/NNSA
stated its intent to implement the
preferred alternative, Alternative 6,
under the terms of the existing
interagency agreement with TVA. TVA
has decided to implement Alternative 6
as well, which allows for the irradiation
of a total of 5,000 TPBARs every 18
months using both the Watts Bar and
Sequoyah sites. Because TVA could
irradiate a maximum of 2,500 TPBARs
in any one reactor, one or both reactors
at each of the sites could be used. In the
SEIS, DOE/NNSA assumed for
Alternative 6 that each site would
irradiate 2,500 TPBARs every 18
months. However, because the SEIS
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analyzes the impacts of irradiating up to
5,000 TPBARs at a single site,
Alternative 6 is not intended to limit the
number of TPBARs irradiated at either
the Watts Bar or Sequoyah site, so long
as no more than a total of 5,000 TPBARs
is irradiated every 18 months, with no
more than 2,500 TPBARs in any reactor
core. This decision allows for
irradiation of TPBARs at the Sequoyah
site in the future; however, TVA does
not currently have plans to irradiate
TPBARs at the Sequoyah site in the near
term.
In June 2016, TVA agreed to assess
the potential for tritium production at
Watts Bar 2. As a result of that
assessment, TVA is planning to submit
a license amendment to the NRC in late
2017 to authorize irradiation of up to
1,792 TPBARs in Watts Bar 2. Subject to
approval of the license agreement,
tritium production in Watts Bar 2 is
currently projected to start in the fall of
2020 with the loading of approximately
600 to 704 TPBARs. Plans further call
for Watts Bar 2 to be irradiating
approximately 1,500 to 1,792 TPBARs
by December 2025.
The basis for TVA’s decision is its
commitment to provide irradiation
services for producing tritium for DOE/
NNSA based on the interagency
agreement established in 2000 between
the two agencies. TVA concurs that the
proposal reflects responsible planning
on the part of DOE/NNSA and provides
the greatest flexibility for DOE/NNSA to
meet future tritium production
requirements through the potential
availability of up to four reactors (i.e.,
the addition of Watts Bar 2) to assist in
meeting national security requirements.
No other alternative reviewed in the
SEIS provided the desired flexibility.
The decision represents TVA’s
continued commitment to support the
Nation’s defense efforts and national
security requirements.
Mitigation Measures
The SEIS identified several mitigation
measures that would reduce potential
impacts from tritium releases. In the
event that TVA decides to irradiate
TPBARs at Sequoyah site or facilitate
routine tritium management, TVA
would construct and operate a 500,000gallon tritiated water tank system
(similar to the system at the Watts Bar
site) at Sequoyah to mitigate potential
impacts from tritium releases. TVA
would use the respective tank systems
at both sites to store tritiated water after
it passed through the liquid radioactive
waste processing system. TVA would
release the stored tritiated water to the
Tennessee River by the existing
pathways at the site. The tank systems
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
16655
would have sufficient capacity to store
and release the water to the Tennessee
River at appropriate times (that is, TVA
will release stored tritiated water from
the tank during times of higher river
flows for better dilution), and it will
enable TVA to minimize the potential
impacts of tritiated water releases. The
systems would enable TVA to plan
fewer releases each year and to ensure
that site effluents would continue to
remain well below regulatory
concentration limits. Additionally, TVA
will continue to monitor its operations
for emissions to air and water in
accordance with NRC licensing
requirements. TVA has adopted all
practicable means to avoid or minimize
environmental harm from the selected
alternative.
David M. Czufin,
Senior Vice President, Nuclear Engineering
and Operations Support.
[FR Doc. 2017–06463 Filed 4–4–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120–08–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Notice of Intent To Rule on Request To
Release Airport Property at the
Sweetwater Municipal Airport in
Sweetwater, Texas; Correction
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of request to release
airport property; correction.
AGENCY:
The FAA published a
document in the Federal Register on
March 15, 2017, concerning the release
of airport property at the South Texas
Regional Airport in Hondo, Texas. The
document contained the incorrect
airport in the subject heading.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Anthony Mekhail, 817–222–5663.
SUMMARY:
Correction
In the Federal Register of March 15,
2017, in FR Doc. 2017–05018, make the
following corrections:
1. On page 13918, in the second
column, the subject heading is corrected
to ‘‘Notice of Intent to Rule on Request
to Release Airport Property at
Sweetwater Municipal Airport in
Sweetwater, Texas,’’ as set out in the
subject heading of this document.
2. On page 13918, in the third
column, in the first sentence of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section, the
phrase ‘‘South Texas Regional Airport at
Hondo’’ is corrected to ‘‘Sweetwater
Municipal Airport in Sweetwater.’’
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16653-16655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06463]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Production of Tritium in Commercial Light Water Reactors
AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.
ACTION: Record of decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations and the Tennessee Valley
Authority's (TVA) procedures for implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). TVA has decided to implement the
preferred alternative identified in the Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Production of Tritium in
a Commercial Light Water Reactor, issued March 4, 2016, prepared by the
U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration
(DOE/NNSA). The decision allows for the production of tritium using TVA
reactors at both the Watts Bar and Sequoyah sites in eastern Tennessee
and continues an interagency agreement with DOE/NNSA under The Economy
Act to provide irradiation services for producing tritium in TVA light
water reactors.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Higdon, Tennessee Valley
Authority, NEPA Specialist, 400 West Summit Hill Drive (WT11D),
Knoxville,
[[Page 16654]]
Tennessee 37902; telephone (865) 632-8051; or email mshigdon@tva.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: TVA adopted the Final SEIS on March 4, 2016
(81 FR 11557-11558) in accordance with 40 CFR 1506.3. As a cooperating
agency, TVA provided subject matter expertise, independent review and
evaluation, and close coordination with DOE/NNSA during the
environmental review process, including preparation of the Draft SEIS
and the Final SEIS. DOE/NNSA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) based on
the Final SEIS on June 22, 2016 (81 FR 40685). By this notice, TVA is
providing notification of its decision and agency reasoning.
Background
The DOE is responsible for supplying nuclear materials for national
security needs and ensuring that the nuclear weapons stockpile remains
safe and reliable. Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is an
essential component of every weapon in the current and projected U.S.
nuclear weapons stockpile. Unlike other nuclear materials used in
nuclear weapons, tritium decays at a rate of 5.5 percent per year.
Accordingly, as long as the Nation relies on a nuclear deterrent, the
tritium in each nuclear weapon must be replenished periodically.
In March 1999, DOE/NNSA published the Final EIS for Production of
Tritium in a Commercial Light Water Reactor, which addressed the
proposed interagency agreement with TVA to produce tritium at TVA
reactors using tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs). In
May 1999, DOE published the ROD for the 1999 EIS, identifying its
decision to implement the agreement for tritium production at the Watts
Bar Unit 1 reactor (Watts Bar 1) in Rhea County, Tennessee, and
Sequoyah Units 1 and 2 reactors (Sequoyah 1 and 2) in Hamilton County,
Tennessee. Under the proposal, TVA would irradiate up to 3,400 TPBARs
per reactor per fuel cycle, which lasts about 18 months. The agreement
was needed by DOE/NNSA because at the time the U.S. nuclear weapons
complex did not have the capability to produce the amounts of tritium
that were needed to support the Nation's current and future nuclear
weapons stockpile.
Following the environmental review, an agreement with DOE/NNSA was
approved by the TVA Board of Directors in late 1999 and, in May 2000,
TVA issued a ROD and adopted the DOE/NNSA's EIS (65 FR 26259). In 2000,
TVA entered into an interagency agreement with DOE/NNSA under The
Economy Act to provide irradiation services for producing tritium in
TVA light water reactors through November 2035.
In explaining its decision in the ROD, TVA noted that the preamble
to the TVA Act of 1933 identifies national defense as one of the
purposes for its enactment, that Sections 15d(h) and 31 of the TVA Act
declare that the Act should be liberally construed to aid TVA in
discharging its responsibilities for the advancement of national
defense, and that there have been numerous occasions on which TVA
supported the Nation's defense efforts. In the ROD, TVA stated that
this mandate to support the national defense was among the factors for
consideration in approving the production of tritium.
TVA received license amendments from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) in 2002 to produce tritium in Watts Bar 1 reactor and
both Sequoyah reactors and has been producing tritium at the Watts Bar
1 reactor since 2003 (TVA has not produced tritium in Sequoyah 1 or 2;
that has remained a viable option). Since 2003, irradiation experience
at Watts Bar has shown that the permeation rate per TPBAR per year has
been higher than the estimate that was included and analyzed in the
1999 EIS by DOE/NNSA. In the 1999 EIS, DOE/NNSA estimated that tritium
permeated through the wall of the TPBARs into the reactor coolant at a
rate of one curie per TPBAR per year. However, experience at Watts Bar
has shown that the actual permeation rate is 3-4 curies per TPBAR per
year (there are approximately 10,000 curies of tritium produced by a
TPBAR). The higher-than-expected permeation rate has resulted in
limitations on the number of TPBARs that TVA can irradiate in its
reactors to meet DOE/NNSA's projected tritium requirements. Watts Bar
Unit 2 (Watts Bar 2), which began commercial operation in late 2016, is
not currently licensed for tritium production.
DOE/NNSA initiated the SEIS in 2011 to supplement its previous
analysis to address the higher rates of permeation of tritium from
TPBARs at TVA sites and to evaluate increasing tritium production
quantities to meet requirements. In the SEIS analysis, DOE/NNSA used a
conservative (i.e., bounding) estimate of tritium permeation rate, as
well as a conservative interpretation of the DOE/NNSA's revised
estimate of the maximum number of TPBARs necessary to support current
tritium supply requirements.
Six alternatives were analyzed in the SEIS, including alternatives
to utilize Watts Bar 2. The No Action Alternative assumed irradiation
of up to a total of 2,040 TPBARs every 18 months using Watts Bar 1 and
Sequoyah 1 and 2. This alternative was based on the estimate in the
1999 EIS that a maximum of 3,400 curies of tritium would be released
from any reactor in a given year, combined with an assumption of a
conservative release of 5 curies for each TPBAR annually, or a total of
680 TPBARs in any given reactor. Alternatives 1 and 2 assumed TVA would
irradiate up to a total of 2,500 TPBARs every 18 months at only one
site--only at the Watts Bar site under Alternative 1 and only at the
Sequoyah site under Alternative 2. Alternative 3 assumed TVA would
irradiate up to a total of 2,500 TPBARs every 18 months using both the
Watts Bar and Sequoyah sites. Alternatives 4 and 5 assumed TVA would
irradiate up to a total of 5,000 TPBARs every 18 months at only one
site--only at the Watts Bar site using Watts Bar 1 and 2 under
Alternative 4 and only at the Sequoyah site using Sequoyah 1 and 2
under Alternative 5.
In its Final SEIS, DOE/NNSA identified Alternative 6 as the
preferred alternative. Under this alternative, TVA would irradiate up
to a total of 5,000 TPBARs every 18 months using both the Sequoyah and
Watts Bar sites. Because TVA would irradiate a maximum of 2,500 TPBARs
in any one reactor, one or both reactors at each of the sites may be
involved. In discussing its preference, DOE/NNSA acknowledged that
while the irradiation of a total of 2,500 TPBARs every 18 months is
likely to continue to meet near-term national security requirements,
implementing Alternative 6 provides DOE/NNSA with the greatest
flexibility to address potential future scenarios because it
encompasses the full numerical range of TPBARs that could, under any
currently foreseeable circumstances, be irradiated in an 18-month
period at the TVA reactors to satisfy national security requirements.
Environmental Consequences
In the SEIS, DOE/NNSA provided supplemental analysis of the
potential impacts of each alternative on land use, aesthetics, climate
and air quality, geology and soils, water resources, biological
resources, cultural resources, transportation, infrastructure and
utilities, socioeconomics and environmental justice, and human health
and safety. Also addressed were impacts associated with potential
accidents and intentional destructive acts and those associated with
waste and spent nuclear fuel management. The potential environmental
impacts of each alternative are summarized for
[[Page 16655]]
comparison in the Summary and Section 2.5 of the Final SEIS.
The key findings of the SEIS are (1) Tritium releases from normal
operations with TPBAR irradiation would have an insignificant impact on
the health of workers and the public; (2) tritium releases from TPBAR
irradiation would increase tritium concentrations in the Tennessee
River in comparison with not irradiating TPBARs; however, the tritium
concentration at any drinking water intake would remain well below the
maximum permissible Environmental Protection Agency drinking water
limit of 20,000 picocuries per liter; (3) TPBAR irradiation would not
have a significant adverse impact on the operation and safety of TVA
reactor facilities, and the potential risks from accidents would remain
essentially the same whether TPBARs were irradiated in a TVA reactor or
not; and (4) irradiation of 2,500 TPBARs in a single reactor would
increase spent nuclear fuel generation by about 24 percent per fuel
cycle and irradiation of 5,000 TPBARs at a single site would increase
spent nuclear fuel generation at either Watts Bar or Sequoyah by about
48 percent per fuel cycle; however, TVA has a plan to manage the
increased volume of spent nuclear fuel assemblies.
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
In its June 2016 ROD, DOE/NNSA identified the No Action Alternative
as the environmentally preferable alternative after considering the
potential impacts to each resource area by alternative. TVA concurs
with this determination. Fewer environmental impacts would result from
the No Action Alternative because the alternative would have the lowest
limiting value considered for the total number of TPBARs proposed to be
irradiated (no more than 2,040 TPBARs every 18 months).
Decision
In its June 2016 ROD, DOE/NNSA stated its intent to implement the
preferred alternative, Alternative 6, under the terms of the existing
interagency agreement with TVA. TVA has decided to implement
Alternative 6 as well, which allows for the irradiation of a total of
5,000 TPBARs every 18 months using both the Watts Bar and Sequoyah
sites. Because TVA could irradiate a maximum of 2,500 TPBARs in any one
reactor, one or both reactors at each of the sites could be used. In
the SEIS, DOE/NNSA assumed for Alternative 6 that each site would
irradiate 2,500 TPBARs every 18 months. However, because the SEIS
analyzes the impacts of irradiating up to 5,000 TPBARs at a single
site, Alternative 6 is not intended to limit the number of TPBARs
irradiated at either the Watts Bar or Sequoyah site, so long as no more
than a total of 5,000 TPBARs is irradiated every 18 months, with no
more than 2,500 TPBARs in any reactor core. This decision allows for
irradiation of TPBARs at the Sequoyah site in the future; however, TVA
does not currently have plans to irradiate TPBARs at the Sequoyah site
in the near term.
In June 2016, TVA agreed to assess the potential for tritium
production at Watts Bar 2. As a result of that assessment, TVA is
planning to submit a license amendment to the NRC in late 2017 to
authorize irradiation of up to 1,792 TPBARs in Watts Bar 2. Subject to
approval of the license agreement, tritium production in Watts Bar 2 is
currently projected to start in the fall of 2020 with the loading of
approximately 600 to 704 TPBARs. Plans further call for Watts Bar 2 to
be irradiating approximately 1,500 to 1,792 TPBARs by December 2025.
The basis for TVA's decision is its commitment to provide
irradiation services for producing tritium for DOE/NNSA based on the
interagency agreement established in 2000 between the two agencies. TVA
concurs that the proposal reflects responsible planning on the part of
DOE/NNSA and provides the greatest flexibility for DOE/NNSA to meet
future tritium production requirements through the potential
availability of up to four reactors (i.e., the addition of Watts Bar 2)
to assist in meeting national security requirements. No other
alternative reviewed in the SEIS provided the desired flexibility. The
decision represents TVA's continued commitment to support the Nation's
defense efforts and national security requirements.
Mitigation Measures
The SEIS identified several mitigation measures that would reduce
potential impacts from tritium releases. In the event that TVA decides
to irradiate TPBARs at Sequoyah site or facilitate routine tritium
management, TVA would construct and operate a 500,000-gallon tritiated
water tank system (similar to the system at the Watts Bar site) at
Sequoyah to mitigate potential impacts from tritium releases. TVA would
use the respective tank systems at both sites to store tritiated water
after it passed through the liquid radioactive waste processing system.
TVA would release the stored tritiated water to the Tennessee River by
the existing pathways at the site. The tank systems would have
sufficient capacity to store and release the water to the Tennessee
River at appropriate times (that is, TVA will release stored tritiated
water from the tank during times of higher river flows for better
dilution), and it will enable TVA to minimize the potential impacts of
tritiated water releases. The systems would enable TVA to plan fewer
releases each year and to ensure that site effluents would continue to
remain well below regulatory concentration limits. Additionally, TVA
will continue to monitor its operations for emissions to air and water
in accordance with NRC licensing requirements. TVA has adopted all
practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental harm from the
selected alternative.
David M. Czufin,
Senior Vice President, Nuclear Engineering and Operations Support.
[FR Doc. 2017-06463 Filed 4-4-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P
