Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, 36243-36245 [2020-12846]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 115 / Monday, June 15, 2020 / Notices
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[FR Doc. 2020–12798 Filed 6–12–20; 8:45 am]
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jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
[Docket Nos. 72–1032, 72–78, 50–317 and
50–318; NRC–2020–0113]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC;
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Station,
Units 1 and 2; Independent Spent Fuel
Storage Installation
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Exemption; issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is issuing an
SUMMARY:
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exemption in response to a request
submitted by Exelon Generation
Company, LLC (EGC) on October 3,
2019, for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear
Power Plant (CCNPP). This exemption
would permit CCNPP to load and store
spent fuel with a larger pellet diameter
than is authorized in the Holtec
International, Inc. (Holtec) HI–STORM
FW storage system in Certificate of
Compliance No. 1032, Amendment 1,
Revision 1.
DATES: The exemption was issued on
June 8, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2020–0113 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may obtain publicly-available
information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking website: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2020–0113. Address
questions about NRC docket IDs to
Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301–287–
9127; email: Jennifer.Borges@nrc.gov.
For technical questions, contact the
individual listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
document.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. To begin the search, select
‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For
problems with ADAMS, please contact
the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR)
reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301–
415–4737, or by email to pdr.resource@
nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number
for each document referenced in this
document (if that document is available
in ADAMS) is provided the first time
that a document is referenced.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chris Allen, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415–
6877; email: William.Allen@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
CCNPP has been storing PWR spent
fuel in its specific licensed independent
spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI)
utilizing Special Nuclear Materials
License No. SNM–2505, which was
issued in November 1992. However, for
the loading campaign commencing in
early summer of 2021, CCNPP is
transitioning to store its PWR fuel at a
separate on-site ISFSI, which will use
the HI–STORM FW dry storage system,
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
36243
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032,
Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 (ADAMS
Package Accession No. ML15152A358)
under the general license provisions in
part 72 of title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR). Although the HI–
STORM FW storage system is approved
for a fuel pellet diameter of 0.3805
inches (0.9665 centimeters), some of the
CCNPP spent fuel assemblies would be
precluded from being loaded in an
upcoming loading campaign because
they have fuel pellets with a maximum
diameter of 0.3810 inches (0.9677
centimeters).
II. Request/Action
By application dated October 3, 2019
(ADAMS Accession No. ML19276D398),
EGC submitted a request for an
exemption from those provisions of 10
CFR 72.212(b)(3) and 72.212(b)(11) that
require compliance with the terms,
conditions, and specifications of
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032,
Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 to allow
CCNPP to load spent fuel with a
maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810
inches (0.9677 centimeters), utilizing
Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 for the
Holtec HI–STORM FW storage system.
In evaluating the request, the NRC also
considered, pursuant to authority in 10
CFR 72.7, exempting Exelon from
similar requirements in 10 CFR
72.212(a)(2) and (b)(5)(i) and 10 CFR
72.214, ‘‘List of approved spent fuel
storage casks.’’
III. Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, the
Commission may, upon application by
any interested person or upon its own
initiative, grant such exemptions from
the requirements of the regulations of 10
CFR part 72 as it determines are
authorized by law and will not endanger
life or property or the common defense
and security, and are otherwise in the
public interest.
The NRC staff prepared a safety
evaluation report (ADAMS Accession
No. ML20115E378) to document its
safety evaluation of the proposed action
(i.e., granting an exemption to authorize
loading spent fuel with a maximum fuel
pellet diameter of 0.3810 inches (0. 9677
centimeters)), to assure that the
exemption is authorized by law, will
protect life or property or the common
defense and security and are otherwise
in the public interest. As summarized in
this document, the NRC’s safety review
concludes that the requested exemption
meets the requirements for issuance in
10 CFR 72.7.
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36244
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 115 / Monday, June 15, 2020 / Notices
A. The Exemption Is Authorized by Law
This exemption would permit CCNPP
to load spent fuel with a larger fuel
pellet diameter than authorized in
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032,
Amendment No. 1, Revision 1. Section
72.7 allows the Commission to grant
exemptions from the requirements of 10
CFR part 72 if the exemption is
authorized by law and will not endanger
life or property or the common defense
and security. Issuance of this exemption
is consistent with the Atomic Energy
Act of 1954, as amended, and is not
otherwise inconsistent with NRC’s
regulations or other applicable laws.
Therefore, issuance of the exemption is
authorized by law.
B. Will Not Endanger Life or Property or
the Common Defense and Security
As discussed in the safety evaluation
report and summarized in the following
sections, the NRC staff has found that
EGC’s proposed action is acceptable and
will not endanger life or property or the
common defense and security.
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Safety Review of the Requested
Exemption
EGC submitted an exemption request
to deviate from the maximum fuel pellet
diameter for 14x14C fuel, stored in the
Holtec HI–STORM FW storage system.
The staff reviewed the exemption
request and concludes that the proposed
exemption from certain requirements of
10 CFR part 72 will not cause the HI–
STORM FW storage system to encounter
conditions beyond those for which it
has been evaluated and demonstrated to
meet the applicable safety requirements
in 10 CFR part 72. As explained below,
the staff evaluated the potential thermal,
radiation and criticality safety impacts
of granting the exemption.
Thermal
EGC stated that the small change in
fuel pellet diameter, which is used in
the effective fuel thermal conductivity
calculations, has a second order impact
on the effective fuel thermal properties,
and that a larger fuel pellet diameter
reduces the resistance to heat transfer by
decreasing the helium gap between the
fuel pellet and cladding. In addition,
EGC asserted that the 14x14C fuel
assembly is bounded by the WE 17x17
fuel assembly adopted in the licensing
basis analyses. Staff reviewed the
information provided and concluded
that the impact of loading a fuel pellet
with a slightly increased diameter is
negligible to the thermal design
functions of the loaded cask. Staff also
reviewed the HI–STORM FW final
safety analysis report (FSAR) and
confirmed that the heat load of the
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17:04 Jun 12, 2020
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14x14C fuel assembly is bounded by the
head load of the 17x17 fuel assembly.
Shielding
EGC evaluated the impact of
increasing the fuel pellet diameter from
0.3805 inches (0.9665 cm) to 0.3810
inches (0.9677 cm). EGC determined
that the small increase in heavy metal
from 438 kg to 439.15 kg caused by
increasing the fuel pellet diameter is
conservatively bounded by the uranium
weight for the design basis fuel
assembly in Table 5.2.1 of the HI–
STORM FW FSAR of 469 kg. The staff
reviewed this information and
determined that the proposed change to
the fuel pellet diameter will not
significantly change the system
shielding analyses in the HI–STORM
FW FSAR. Further, the staff determined
that the WE17X17 design basis fuel
assembly in the HI–STORM FW FSAR
with 469 kg of heavy metal bounds the
CCNPP 14X14C fuel assemblies with
439.15 kg of heavy metal since the
system shielding analyses in the FSAR
also bound the expected increase in
radiation from the slightly larger fuel
pellets.
Criticality
EGC stated that Holtec evaluated a
fuel pellet diameter of 0.3805 inches
(0.9665 cm) in the HI–STORM FW
FSAR, to determine the effect of an
upper manufacturing tolerance of
0.0005 inches (0.0013 cm) applied to the
nominal value of 0.3805 inches (0.9665
cm). In that final safety analysis report,
Holtec determined that the system keffective with this larger diameter of
fuel pellet is statistically the same as the
system k-effective with the nominal fuel
pellet diameter. Therefore, EGC stated
that its proposed exemption has no
effect on the criticality safety of the HI–
STORM FW storage system. The staff
reviewed the final safety analysis report
and determined that the proposed
change to the fuel pellet diameter will
not result in changes to system keffective that are statistically significant.
The staff finds that this proposed
exemption does not affect the ability of
the HI–STORM FW storage system to
meet the criticality safety requirements
of 10 CFR part 72.
Review of Common Defense and
Security
EGC’s exemption request is not
related to any aspect of the physical
security or defense of the CCNPP ISFSI.
Modification of the fuel pellet diameter
does not affect the ISFSI security plans.
Therefore, granting the exemption
would not result in any potential
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
impacts to common defense and
security.
Based on its review, the NRC staff has
determined that under the requested
exemption, the storage system will
continue to meet the safety
requirements of 10 CFR part 72 and the
offsite dose limits of 10 CFR part 20
and, therefore, will not endanger life or
property. The NRC staff also found that
the exemption would not endanger the
common defense and security.
D. Otherwise in the Public Interest
In determining whether the
exemption is in the public interest, the
staff considered the no-action
alternative of denying the exemption
request. Denial of the exemption request
would cause CCNPP to postpone
loading of spent fuel that contains the
larger fuel pellet diameter until it is
approved in an amendment for CoC No.
1032 or alternative loading
arrangements are implemented.
EGC stated that the proposed
exemption is in the public interest
because it would allow CCNPP to load
spent fuel in an inherently safe, passive
system on schedule, which would
enable CCNPP to continue to maintain
full-core offload capability. The staff
reviewed the information provided by
EGC, and based upon the above stated
information, concludes that granting the
requested exemption continues to
provide adequate protection of public
health and safety and is otherwise in the
public interest.
E. Environmental Considerations
The NRC staff also considered
whether there would be any significant
environmental impacts associated with
the exemption. For this proposed action,
the NRC staff performed an
environmental assessment pursuant to
10 CFR 51.30. The environmental
assessment concluded that the proposed
action would not significantly impact
the quality of the human environment.
The NRC staff concluded that the
proposed action would not result in any
changes in the types or amounts of any
radiological or non-radiological
effluents that may be released offsite,
and there is no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation
exposure because of the proposed
action. The environmental assessment
and the finding of no significant impact
was published on June 1, 2020 (85 FR
33204).
IV. Conclusion
Accordingly, the Commission has
determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR
72.7, this exemption is authorized by
law, will not endanger life or property
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 115 / Monday, June 15, 2020 / Notices
or the common defense and security,
and is otherwise in the public interest.
Therefore, the Commission hereby
grants EGC an exemption from those
provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), (b)(3),
and (b)(5)(i), 10 CFR 72.214, and the
portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that
require compliance with terms,
conditions, and specifications of the
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032,
Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 for the
CCNPP to load spent fuel with a
maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810
inches (0.9677 centimeters) in the HI–
STORM FW storage system using
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032,
Amendment No. 1, Revision 1.
The exemption is effective upon
issuance.
Dated: June 10, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John B. McKirgan,
Chief, Storage and Transportation Licensing
Branch, Division of Fuel Management, Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2020–12846 Filed 6–12–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2020–0001]
Sunshine Act Meetings
Week of June 15, 2020.
PLACE: via Teleconference.
STATUS: Open.
TIME AND DATE:
at Denise.McGovern@nrc.gov. The
schedule for Commission meetings is
subject to change on short notice.
The NRC Commission Meeting
Schedule can be found on the internet
at: https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/
public-meetings/schedule.html.
The NRC provides reasonable
accommodation to individuals with
disabilities where appropriate. If you
need a reasonable accommodation to
participate in these public meetings or
need this meeting notice or the
transcript or other information from the
public meetings in another format (e.g.,
braille, large print), please notify Anne
Silk, NRC Disability Program Specialist,
at 301–287–0745, by videophone at
240–428–3217, or by email at
Anne.Silk@nrc.gov. Determinations on
requests for reasonable accommodation
will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Members of the public may request to
receive this information electronically.
If you would like to be added to the
distribution, please contact the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Office of the
Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301–
415–1969), or by email at
Wendy.Moore@nrc.gov or Tyesha.Bush@
nrc.gov.
The NRC is holding the meetings
under the authority of the Government
in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b.
Dated: June 11, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Denise L. McGovern,
Policy Coordinator, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020–12974 Filed 6–11–20; 4:15 pm]
Week of June 15, 2020
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BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
Monday, June 15, 2020
3 p.m.—Affirmation Session (Public
Meeting via Teleconference)
(Tentative), Southern Nuclear
Operating Co., Inc. (Vogtle Electric
Generating Plant, Unit 3)—Request
for Hearing in Inspections, Test,
Analysis and Acceptance Criteria
(ITAAC) Proceeding (Tentative)
(Contact: Denise McGovern: 301–
415–0681)
Additional information: By a vote of
5–0 on June 11, 2020, the Commission
determined pursuant to U.S.C. 552b(e)
and ’9.107(a) of the Commission’s rules
that the above referenced Affirmation
Session be held with less than one week
notice to the public. The meeting is
scheduled on June 15, 2020, and will be
held via teleconference. Details for
joining the teleconference in listen only
mode can be found at https://
www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg.
CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For more information or to verify the
status of meetings, contact Denise
McGovern at 301–415–0681 or via email
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17:04 Jun 12, 2020
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36245
telephone for advice on filing
alternatives.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David A. Trissell, General Counsel, at
202–789–6820.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Background
III. Compliance with Legal Requirements
IV. Data Collection
V. Notice of Commission Action
VI. Ordering Paragraphs
I. Introduction
In accordance with 39 U.S.C. 3641
and 39 CFR part 3045, the Postal Service
filed notice of its intent to conduct a
market test of an experimental product
called Extended Mail Forwarding.1 The
Postal Service states that currently,
when residential and commercial postal
customers move, they may file a
permanent Change of Address (COA)
request for the forwarding of mail
addressed to their old address to the
new address for one year. Notice at 1.
After one year, mail bearing the
customer’s old address is returned to
sender or wasted. Id. at 2. Extended
Mail Forwarding will provide customers
who submit a permanent COA request
with the option of extending forwarding
of all First-Class Mail, First-Class
Package Service Commercial, and
Priority Mail pieces beyond the one year
period for a fee. Id. The Postal Service
intends for the market test to run for two
full years beginning on August 1, 2020.
Id. at 3.
II. Background
POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. MT2020–2; Order No. 5539]
Market Test of Experimental Product
Postal Regulatory Commission.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Commission is noticing a
recently filed Postal Service proposal to
conduct a market test of an
experimental product called Extended
Mail Forwarding. This notice informs
the public of the filing, invites public
comment, and takes other
administrative steps.
DATES: Comments are due: June 30,
2020.
SUMMARY:
Submit comments
electronically via the Commission’s
Filing Online system at https://
www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit
comments electronically should contact
the person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section by
ADDRESSES:
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On June 8, 2020, the Postal Service
filed the Notice proposing the Extended
Mail Forwarding market test. The Postal
Service asserts that Extended Mail
Forwarding will ensure customers
receive mailpieces for which they are
the intended recipient and which is
more essential than ever before in light
of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. It
states that customers will exercise
greater control over their mail
forwarding expiration dates with more
time to update and communicate with
their mailing contacts. Id. The Postal
Service also asserts that Extended Mail
Forwarding will provide cost savings for
the Postal Service because the cost of
forwarding is less than the cost of
handling Undeliverable as Addressed
mailpieces. Id. at 4.
The Postal Service states that
Extended Mail Forwarding will be
1 United States Postal Service Notice of Market
Test of Experimental Product—Extended Mail
Forwarding, June 8, 2020 (Notice).
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 115 (Monday, June 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36243-36245]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12846]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 72-1032, 72-78, 50-317 and 50-318; NRC-2020-0113]
Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power
Station, Units 1 and 2; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Exemption; issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an
exemption in response to a request submitted by Exelon Generation
Company, LLC (EGC) on October 3, 2019, for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear
Power Plant (CCNPP). This exemption would permit CCNPP to load and
store spent fuel with a larger pellet diameter than is authorized in
the Holtec International, Inc. (Holtec) HI-STORM FW storage system in
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment 1, Revision 1.
DATES: The exemption was issued on June 8, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0113 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0113. Address
questions about NRC docket IDs to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-
9127; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or
by email to [email protected]. The ADAMS accession number for each
document referenced in this document (if that document is available in
ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Allen, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6877; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
CCNPP has been storing PWR spent fuel in its specific licensed
independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) utilizing Special
Nuclear Materials License No. SNM-2505, which was issued in November
1992. However, for the loading campaign commencing in early summer of
2021, CCNPP is transitioning to store its PWR fuel at a separate on-
site ISFSI, which will use the HI-STORM FW dry storage system,
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 (ADAMS
Package Accession No. ML15152A358) under the general license provisions
in part 72 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR).
Although the HI-STORM FW storage system is approved for a fuel pellet
diameter of 0.3805 inches (0.9665 centimeters), some of the CCNPP spent
fuel assemblies would be precluded from being loaded in an upcoming
loading campaign because they have fuel pellets with a maximum diameter
of 0.3810 inches (0.9677 centimeters).
II. Request/Action
By application dated October 3, 2019 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML19276D398), EGC submitted a request for an exemption from those
provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(3) and 72.212(b)(11) that require
compliance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of
Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 to
allow CCNPP to load spent fuel with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of
0.3810 inches (0.9677 centimeters), utilizing Amendment No. 1, Revision
1 for the Holtec HI-STORM FW storage system. In evaluating the request,
the NRC also considered, pursuant to authority in 10 CFR 72.7,
exempting Exelon from similar requirements in 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2) and
(b)(5)(i) and 10 CFR 72.214, ``List of approved spent fuel storage
casks.''
III. Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, the Commission may, upon application by
any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant such exemptions
from the requirements of the regulations of 10 CFR part 72 as it
determines are authorized by law and will not endanger life or property
or the common defense and security, and are otherwise in the public
interest.
The NRC staff prepared a safety evaluation report (ADAMS Accession
No. ML20115E378) to document its safety evaluation of the proposed
action (i.e., granting an exemption to authorize loading spent fuel
with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810 inches (0. 9677
centimeters)), to assure that the exemption is authorized by law, will
protect life or property or the common defense and security and are
otherwise in the public interest. As summarized in this document, the
NRC's safety review concludes that the requested exemption meets the
requirements for issuance in 10 CFR 72.7.
[[Page 36244]]
A. The Exemption Is Authorized by Law
This exemption would permit CCNPP to load spent fuel with a larger
fuel pellet diameter than authorized in Certificate of Compliance No.
1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1. Section 72.7 allows the Commission
to grant exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR part 72 if the
exemption is authorized by law and will not endanger life or property
or the common defense and security. Issuance of this exemption is
consistent with the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and is not
otherwise inconsistent with NRC's regulations or other applicable laws.
Therefore, issuance of the exemption is authorized by law.
B. Will Not Endanger Life or Property or the Common Defense and
Security
As discussed in the safety evaluation report and summarized in the
following sections, the NRC staff has found that EGC's proposed action
is acceptable and will not endanger life or property or the common
defense and security.
Safety Review of the Requested Exemption
EGC submitted an exemption request to deviate from the maximum fuel
pellet diameter for 14x14C fuel, stored in the Holtec HI-STORM FW
storage system. The staff reviewed the exemption request and concludes
that the proposed exemption from certain requirements of 10 CFR part 72
will not cause the HI-STORM FW storage system to encounter conditions
beyond those for which it has been evaluated and demonstrated to meet
the applicable safety requirements in 10 CFR part 72. As explained
below, the staff evaluated the potential thermal, radiation and
criticality safety impacts of granting the exemption.
Thermal
EGC stated that the small change in fuel pellet diameter, which is
used in the effective fuel thermal conductivity calculations, has a
second order impact on the effective fuel thermal properties, and that
a larger fuel pellet diameter reduces the resistance to heat transfer
by decreasing the helium gap between the fuel pellet and cladding. In
addition, EGC asserted that the 14x14C fuel assembly is bounded by the
WE 17x17 fuel assembly adopted in the licensing basis analyses. Staff
reviewed the information provided and concluded that the impact of
loading a fuel pellet with a slightly increased diameter is negligible
to the thermal design functions of the loaded cask. Staff also reviewed
the HI-STORM FW final safety analysis report (FSAR) and confirmed that
the heat load of the 14x14C fuel assembly is bounded by the head load
of the 17x17 fuel assembly.
Shielding
EGC evaluated the impact of increasing the fuel pellet diameter
from 0.3805 inches (0.9665 cm) to 0.3810 inches (0.9677 cm). EGC
determined that the small increase in heavy metal from 438 kg to 439.15
kg caused by increasing the fuel pellet diameter is conservatively
bounded by the uranium weight for the design basis fuel assembly in
Table 5.2.1 of the HI-STORM FW FSAR of 469 kg. The staff reviewed this
information and determined that the proposed change to the fuel pellet
diameter will not significantly change the system shielding analyses in
the HI-STORM FW FSAR. Further, the staff determined that the WE17X17
design basis fuel assembly in the HI-STORM FW FSAR with 469 kg of heavy
metal bounds the CCNPP 14X14C fuel assemblies with 439.15 kg of heavy
metal since the system shielding analyses in the FSAR also bound the
expected increase in radiation from the slightly larger fuel pellets.
Criticality
EGC stated that Holtec evaluated a fuel pellet diameter of 0.3805
inches (0.9665 cm) in the HI-STORM FW FSAR, to determine the effect of
an upper manufacturing tolerance of 0.0005 inches (0.0013 cm) applied
to the nominal value of 0.3805 inches (0.9665 cm). In that final safety
analysis report, Holtec determined that the system k-effective with
this larger diameter of fuel pellet is statistically the same as the
system k-effective with the nominal fuel pellet diameter. Therefore,
EGC stated that its proposed exemption has no effect on the criticality
safety of the HI-STORM FW storage system. The staff reviewed the final
safety analysis report and determined that the proposed change to the
fuel pellet diameter will not result in changes to system k-effective
that are statistically significant. The staff finds that this proposed
exemption does not affect the ability of the HI-STORM FW storage system
to meet the criticality safety requirements of 10 CFR part 72.
Review of Common Defense and Security
EGC's exemption request is not related to any aspect of the
physical security or defense of the CCNPP ISFSI. Modification of the
fuel pellet diameter does not affect the ISFSI security plans.
Therefore, granting the exemption would not result in any potential
impacts to common defense and security.
Based on its review, the NRC staff has determined that under the
requested exemption, the storage system will continue to meet the
safety requirements of 10 CFR part 72 and the offsite dose limits of 10
CFR part 20 and, therefore, will not endanger life or property. The NRC
staff also found that the exemption would not endanger the common
defense and security.
D. Otherwise in the Public Interest
In determining whether the exemption is in the public interest, the
staff considered the no-action alternative of denying the exemption
request. Denial of the exemption request would cause CCNPP to postpone
loading of spent fuel that contains the larger fuel pellet diameter
until it is approved in an amendment for CoC No. 1032 or alternative
loading arrangements are implemented.
EGC stated that the proposed exemption is in the public interest
because it would allow CCNPP to load spent fuel in an inherently safe,
passive system on schedule, which would enable CCNPP to continue to
maintain full-core offload capability. The staff reviewed the
information provided by EGC, and based upon the above stated
information, concludes that granting the requested exemption continues
to provide adequate protection of public health and safety and is
otherwise in the public interest.
E. Environmental Considerations
The NRC staff also considered whether there would be any
significant environmental impacts associated with the exemption. For
this proposed action, the NRC staff performed an environmental
assessment pursuant to 10 CFR 51.30. The environmental assessment
concluded that the proposed action would not significantly impact the
quality of the human environment. The NRC staff concluded that the
proposed action would not result in any changes in the types or amounts
of any radiological or non-radiological effluents that may be released
offsite, and there is no significant increase in occupational or public
radiation exposure because of the proposed action. The environmental
assessment and the finding of no significant impact was published on
June 1, 2020 (85 FR 33204).
IV. Conclusion
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR
72.7, this exemption is authorized by law, will not endanger life or
property
[[Page 36245]]
or the common defense and security, and is otherwise in the public
interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants EGC an exemption from
those provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2), (b)(3), and (b)(5)(i), 10 CFR
72.214, and the portion of 10 CFR 72.212(b)(11) that require compliance
with terms, conditions, and specifications of the Certificate of
Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1 for the CCNPP to load
spent fuel with a maximum fuel pellet diameter of 0.3810 inches (0.9677
centimeters) in the HI-STORM FW storage system using Certificate of
Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1, Revision 1.
The exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated: June 10, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John B. McKirgan,
Chief, Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel
Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2020-12846 Filed 6-12-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
