Amended Record of Decision for the Production of Tritium in Commercial Light Water Reactors, 50664-50665 [2024-13069]

Agencies

• Tennessee Valley Authority

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 116 (Friday, June 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50664-50665]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13069]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Amended Record of Decision for the Production of Tritium in 
Commercial Light Water Reactors

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Amended record of decision.

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SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is amending the April 5, 
2017 Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Production of Tritium in a Commercial 
Light Water Reactor (CLWR). The SEIS was issued March 4, 2016, by the 
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security 
Administration (NNSA) and adopted by TVA in its 2017 ROD. TVA is 
amending its previous decision to increase the number of tritium-
producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) irradiated in its reactors at 
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN). In partnership with NNSA, TVA initially 
decided to implement the CLWR SEIS Preferred Alternative, Alternative 
6, which allows for the irradiation of up to a total of 5,000 TPBARs 
every 18 months using TVA reactors at both the WBN and Sequoyah sites. 
Subsequent to the CLWR SEIS, WBN Unit 1 increased production under Unit 
1 License Amendment 107 (July 2016) and Unit 2 tritium production was 
authorized under Unit 2 License Amendment 27 (May 2019). In April 2024, 
WBN Units 1 and 2 were further authorized to increase their tritium 
productions to 2,496 TPBARs in each unit under Unit 1 License Amendment 
165 and Unit 2 License Amendment 72. Hence, TVA and NNSA are now opting 
to choose the previously analyzed CLWR SEIS Alternative 4, which allows 
for the irradiation of up to a total of 5,000 TPBARs every 18 months at 
WBN using Units 1 and 2.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Higdon, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, NEPA Specialist, 400 West Summit Hill Drive (WT11B), 
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902; telephone (865) 632-8051; or email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is provided in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S. Code 
[U.S.C.] 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality's 
regulations for implementing NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
1500 through 1508, as updated April 20, 2022), and TVA's NEPA 
procedures (18 CFR 1318). TVA adopted the Final SEIS on March 4, 2016 
(81 FR 11557-11558). As a cooperating agency, TVA provided subject 
matter expertise, independent review and evaluation, and close 
coordination with NNSA during the environmental review process, 
including preparation of the Draft SEIS and the Final SEIS. NNSA issued 
a ROD based on the Final SEIS on June 22, 2016 (81 FR 40685) and 
amended its ROD on September 14, 2023 (88 FR 63099). By this notice, 
TVA is providing notification of its amended decision and agency 
reasoning.

Background

    The NNSA is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the safety, 
security, reliability, and performance of the nation's nuclear weapons 
stockpile. Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is an essential 
component of every weapon in the current and projected U.S. nuclear 
weapons stockpile and must be replenished periodically due to its short 
half-life. In March 1999, 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 TPBARs. In May 1999, DOE published the ROD for the 1999 
EIS, identifying its decision to implement an agreement for tritium 
production at the WBN Unit 1 reactor in Rhea County, Tennessee, and 
Sequoyah Units 1 and 2 reactors 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 
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, the agreement with NNSA was 
approved by the TVA Board of Directors in late 1999 and, in May 2000, 
TVA issued a ROD and adopted the NNSA's EIS (65 FR 26259). In 2000, TVA 
entered into an interagency agreement with NNSA under The Economy Act 
to provide irradiation services for producing tritium in TVA light 
water reactors through November 2035.
    TVA received license amendments from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) in 2002 to produce tritium in WBN Unit 1 reactor and 
both Sequoyah reactors and has been producing tritium at the WBN Unit 1 
reactor since 2003; TVA has not produced tritium in the Sequoyah 
reactors. Since 2003, irradiation experience at WBN 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 NNSA. NNSA prepared 
the 2016 CLWR SEIS 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. 
The 2016 CLWR SEIS provides analysis of the potential environmental 
impacts from TPBAR irradiation based on a conservative estimate of the 
tritium permeation rate through the TPBAR cladding, NNSA's revised 
estimate of the maximum number of TPBARs necessary to support the 
current and projected future tritium supply requirements, and a maximum 
production scenario of irradiating no more than a total of 5,000 TPBARs 
every 18 months.
    Six alternatives were analyzed in the CLWR SEIS, including the No 
Action Alternative, which was identified by TVA in its 2017 ROD as 
environmentally preferable. In their respective RODs, NNSA and TVA 
initially decided to implement the Preferred Alternative, Alternative 
6, which allows for the irradiation of up to a total of 5,000 TPBARs 
every 18 months using TVA reactors at both the WBN and Sequoyah sites. 
At the time, this decision provided the greatest flexibility to meet 
potential future needs that could arise from various plausible but 
unexpected events.
    After the 2016 SEIS, TVA increased irradiation of TPBARs at WBN 
Unit 1 under License Amendment 107 (July 2016) and at WBN Unit 2 under 
Unit 2 License Amendment 27 (May 2019). In April 2024, WBN Units 1 and 
2 were further authorized to increase their tritium productions to 
2,496 TPBARs in each unit under Unit 1 License Amendment 165 and Unit 2 
License Amendment 72. Because TVA does not plan to produce tritium at 
its Sequoyah site, TVA and NNSA are now opting to choose the previously 
analyzed CLWR SEIS Alternative 4, which allows for the irradiation of 
up to a total of 5,000 TPBARs every 18 months at WBN Units 1 and 2.
    In a February 2023 memorandum, TVA documented its review of the 
CLWR SEIS to determine if additional environmental review under NEPA 
was required, consistent with Council on Environmental Quality's 
regulations implementing NEPA at 40 CFR

[[Page 50665]]

1502.9(d). As discussed in the February 2023 memorandum, entitled 
``Determination of NEPA Adequacy, Production of Tritium in a Commercial 
Light Water Nuclear Reactor (Watts Bar Nuclear Plant),'' TVA concluded 
that there were no new circumstances or information relevant to 
environmental concerns that are significant or that substantially 
change the analysis of the 2016 CLWR SEIS. Recent information reviewed 
by TVA in most cases confirmed TVA's previous description of the 
affected environment. In instances where recent information differed 
notably, that information does not substantially change the previous 
environmental analysis. TVA found that the SEIS continues to provide a 
conservative bounding analysis for a variety of key issues, including 
the amount of additional fuel assemblies, the expected tritium 
permeation rate, and waste generation. In addition, TVA confirmed that 
the CLWR SEIS analysis indicates that there would not be any 
significant increase in radiation exposure associated with TPBAR 
irradiation for facility workers or the public. For all analyzed 
alternatives (including both Alternatives 4 and 6), estimated radiation 
exposures would remain well below regulatory limits. The calculated 
estimated exposures for normal reactor operations with even the maximum 
number of TPBARs are comparable to those for normal reactor operation 
without TPBARs.
    After determining additional environmental review was not 
necessary, in March 2023 TVA submitted to the NRC a License Amendment 
Request (#165) to Facility Operating License NPF-90 (#165) and a 
License Amendment Request (#72) to Facility Operating License NPF-96 
for WBN Units 1 and 2. The amendments would allow TVA to increase the 
maximum number of TPBARs to 2,496 in each WBN unit. The NRC approved 
the two amendments on April 15, 2024.

Amended Decision

    TVA is amending its previous decision (82 FR 16653) to implement 
the 2016 CLWR SEIS's Alternative 6 that assumes TVA would irradiate up 
to a total of 5,000 TPBARs every 18 months using both the WBN and 
Sequoyah sites. Because TVA would irradiate a maximum of 2,500 TPBARs 
in any one reactor, this could involve the use of one or both reactors 
at each of the sites. Instead, TVA has decided to implement the 2016 
CLWR SEIS's Alternative 4 that assumes TVA would irradiate up to a 
total of 5,000 TPBARs every 18 months at WBN using both reactors. Since 
TVA would irradiate a maximum of 2,500 TPBARs in any one reactor, both 
Units 1 and 2 would be used to produce tritium. Under this amended 
decision, TVA will not irradiate TPBARs for tritium production at the 
Sequoyah site. This amended decision is consistent with the September 
2023 decision by NNSA to amend its previous decision and implement 
Alternative 4 of the 2016 CLWR SEIS (88 FR 63099).

Basis for Decision

    The basis for TVA's decision is its commitment to provide 
irradiation services for producing tritium for NNSA under the 
interagency agreement established in 2000 between the two agencies. The 
proposal reflects responsible planning on the part of NNSA and provides 
the greatest flexibility for NNSA to meet future tritium production 
requirements and assist in meeting national security requirements. The 
decision reflects TVA's continued commitment to support the nation's 
defense efforts and national security requirements.
    The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been 
addressed in the previous environmental impact statements. TVA's 2023 
Determination of NEPA Adequacy memorandum further addresses 
consideration by TVA of new information or circumstances relevant to 
environmental concerns. In its 2023 memorandum, TVA addressed the 
anticipated effects on the amount of spent fuel to be generated at WBN, 
the fuel cycle there, and the amount of tritiated wastewater estimated 
to be generated from TPBAR irradiation.
    Regarding the amount of spent fuel to be generated at WBN, 
implementing Alternative 4 would result in 36 additional fuel 
assemblies every 18 months. The SEIS, which assumed up to 41 additional 
fuel assemblies, provides a conservative bounding analysis of the 
approximately 2,500 TPBAR equilibrium core designs. Although there 
would be additional spent fuel generated under Alternative 4, TVA has 
infrastructure in place to manage the increased volume of spent nuclear 
fuel assemblies.
    Regarding the new decision's effects on the fuel cycle, the cycle 
length is only mentioned in the SEIS twice and only in the context of 
being a ``potential uncertainty'' in determining if it was necessary to 
assume in the SEIS a higher, more conservative tritium permeation rate. 
TVA does not consider the operating cycle length to be uncertain, and 
it also does not anticipate irradiation of up to 2,500 TPBARs at each 
reactor would affect the typical fuel cycle. Therefore, the issue has 
no bearing on the review of adequacy of the SEIS in addressing the 
irradiation of up to 5,000 TPBARs at WBN.
    Lastly, the estimated amount of tritiated wastewater (due to 
permeation from the TPBARs into the cooling water) was not identified 
in the SEIS, as it is difficult to separate this out from other 
releases from such things as turbine building sumps, floor drain 
collector sumps, groundwater sumps, etc. However, to keep maximum 
tritium concentrations low, TVA will continue to use a ``feed and 
bleed'' technique when releasing wastewater; the technique requires 
additional cooling water per fuel cycle to ensure discharges are within 
regulatory limits. TVA estimates using this technique will increase 
water usage by approximately 25 percent but is not expected to affect 
environmental impacts.
    The current proposal does not represent a substantive change to 
operations, activities, and associated impacts addressed and analyzed 
in the existing NEPA documentation. Therefore, based on its review of 
Alternative 4 in the 2016 CLWR SEIS and TVA's updated analysis and 
review for significant new circumstances or information or substantial 
changes to the proposal, TVA's decision is reasonable and no further 
NEPA analysis is required. Similar to the identification in the 2017 
ROD, TVA identifies the No Action Alternative as the environmentally 
preferred alternative in this amended ROD. The amended decision does 
not affect TVA's commitment to implement relevant mitigation measures 
identified in TVA's 2017 ROD, and 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.
    Authority: 40 CFR 1505.2.

Matthew M. Rasmussen,
Senior Vice President, Nuclear Engineering and Operations Support.
[FR Doc. 2024-13069 Filed 6-13-24; 8:45 am]
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