ML013460168
| ML013460168 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  (DPR-050) |
| Issue date: | 01/08/2002 |
| From: | Colburn T NRC/NRR/DLPM |
| To: | Kingsley O Exelon Generation Co |
| Colburn T, NRR/DLPM, 415-1402 | |
| References | |
| TAC MB0065 | |
| Download: ML013460168 (8) | |
Text
January 8, 2002 Mr. Oliver D. Kingsley, President and Chief Nuclear Officer Exelon Nuclear Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555
SUBJECT:
THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION (TMI-1) RE: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR EXEMPTION FROM 10 CFR 50.44 CONCERNING CONTAINMENT HYDROGEN RECOMBINERS (TAC NO. MB0065)
Dear Mr. Kingsley:
Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application for an exemption dated September 20, 2000, as supplemented August 2 and September 28, 2001. The proposed exemption would exempt TMI-1 from certain requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Section 50.44; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, General Design Criterion 41; and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E,Section VI, pertaining to the hydrogen control system requirements (i.e., containment post-accident hydrogen monitors, recombiners, and hydrogen purge system); and remove the exempted requirements from the TMI-1 design basis. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has determined that it cannot support your request for an exemption from the functional requirement for hydrogen monitoring. The NRC staffs position will be documented in the exemption. Consequently, this environmental assessment addresses only the proposed exemption from the requirements relating to the recombiners and hydrogen purge system.
The assessment is being forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Timothy G. Colburn, Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate l Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-289
Enclosure:
Environmental Assessment cc w/encl: See next page
January 8, 2002 Mr. Oliver D. Kingsley, President and Chief Nuclear Officer Exelon Nuclear Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555
SUBJECT:
THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION (TMI-1) RE: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR EXEMPTION FROM 10 CFR 50.44 CONCERNING CONTAINMENT HYDROGEN RECOMBINERS (TAC NO. MB0065)
Dear Mr. Kingsley:
Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application for an exemption dated September 20, 2000, as supplemented August 2 and September 28, 2001. The proposed exemption would exempt TMI-1 from certain requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Section 50.44; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, General Design Criterion 41; and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E,Section VI, pertaining to the hydrogen control system requirements (i.e., containment post-accident hydrogen monitors, recombiners, and hydrogen purge system); and remove the exempted requirements from the TMI-1 design basis. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has determined that it cannot support your request for an exemption from the functional requirement for hydrogen monitoring. The NRC staffs position will be documented in the exemption. Consequently, this environmental assessment addresses only the proposed exemption from the requirements relating to the recombiners and hydrogen purge system.
The assessment is being forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Timothy G. Colburn, Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate l Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-289
Enclosure:
Environmental Assessment cc w/encl: See next page Distribution:
PUBLIC PDI-1 R/F EAdensam LRaghavan ACRS MOBrien TColburn CCarpenter OGC BZalcman BPlatchek, RI Accession Number: ML013460168 *see previous concurrence OFFICE PDI-1/PM PDI-2/LA RGEB/SC PDI-1/(A)SC OGC NAME TColburn MOBrien BZalcman*
LRaghavan MONeil*
DATE 1/8/02 1/8/02 12/17/01 1/8/02 12/21/01 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1 cc:
John Skolds Chief Operating Officer Exelon Generating Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 William Bohlke Senior Vice President Nuclear Services Exelon Generating Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 John B. Cotton Senior Vice President - Operations Support Exelon Generating Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Joseph J. Hagan Senior Vice President -
Mid Atlantic Regional Operating Group Exelon Generation Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, Suite 305 Kennett Square, PA 19348 Jeffrey A. Benjamin Vice President -
Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Mark E. Warner Vice President TMI Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P. O. Box 480 Middletown, PA 17057 Regional Administrator Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Chairman Board of County Commissioners of Dauphin County Dauphin County Courthouse Harrisburg, PA 17120 Chairman Board of Supervisors of Londonderry Township R.D. #1, Geyers Church Road Middletown, PA 17057 Senior Resident Inspector (TMI-1)
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 219 Middletown, PA 17057 Michael P. Gallagher Director - Licensing Exelon Generation Company, LLC Correspondence Control Desk P.O. Box 160 Kennett Square, PA 19348 David J. Allard, Director Bureau of Radiation Protection Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources P.O. Box 2063 Harrisburg, PA 17120 George H. Gellrich Plant Manager TMI Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P. O. Box 480 Middletown, PA 17057 James J. McElwain Manager - Regulatory Assurance TMI Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P.O. Box 480 Middletown, PA 17057
Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1 cc: continued John F. Rogge, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Edward J. Cullen, Jr., Esquire Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary Exelon Generation Company, LLC 300 Exelon Way Kennett Square, PA 19348 Michael A. Schoppman Framatome ANP Suite 705 1911 North Ft. Myer Drive Rosslyn, VA 22209 Dr. Judith Johnsrud National Energy Committee Sierra Club 433 Orlando Avenue State College, PA 16803 Eric Epstein TMI Alert 4100 Hillsdale Road Harrisburg, PA 17112
7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION AMERGEN ENERGY COMPANY, LLC DOCKET NO. 50-289 THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an exemption from the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
Section 50.44; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, General Design Criterion 41; and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E,Section VI, for Facility Operating License No. DPR-50 issued to AmerGen Energy Company, LLC, (the licensee), for operation of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (TMI-1), located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. 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 exempt TMI-1 from certain requirements of 10 CFR 50.44; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, General Design Criterion 41; and Part 10 CFR 50, Appendix E,Section VI, pertaining to the hydrogen control system requirements (i.e., containment post-accident hydrogen monitors, recombiners, and hydrogen purge system); and remove these requirements from the TMI-1 design basis. The licensees request for an exemption from the functional requirement for hydrogen monitoring is not being approved. The NRC staffs position, with respect to each of the licensees specific exemption requests, will be documented in the exemption. Consequently, this environmental assessment addresses only the exemption from the requirements related to the recombiners and the hydrogen purge system and the removal of these requirements from the TMI-1 design basis.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensees letter dated September 20, 2000, as supplemented by letters dated August 2 and September 28, 2001.
The Need for the Proposed Action:
The proposed exemption from the requirements pertaining to recombiners and the hydrogen purge system, and their associated removal from the design basis, would improve the safety focus at TMI-1 during an accident, and provide for a more effective and efficient method of maintaining adequate protection of public health and safety by simplifying the Emergency Plan and Emergency Plan Implementing Procedures. This would reduce the operators post-accident burden and allow them to give higher priority to more important safety functions following postulated plant accidents.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes, as set forth below, that there are no environmental impacts associated with the removal of the recombiners and hydrogen purge system from the TMI-1 design basis.
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 off site, and there is no significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed action does not involve any historic sites. It does not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action:
As an alternative to the proposed action, the NRC staff considered denial of the proposed action (i.e., the no-action alternative). Denial of the application would result in no change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative action are similar.
Alternative Use of Resources:
The action does not involve the use of any resources not previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for TMI-1, dated December 1972.
Agencies and Persons Consulted:
On December 11, 2001, the staff consulted with the Pennsylvania State official, Mr. Michael Murphy of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Radiation Protection, 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.
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the licensee's letter dated September 20, 2000, as supplemented by letters dated August 2 and September 28, 2001.
Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRCs Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Library component on the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Public Electronic Reading Room). 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 by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of January 2002.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
/RA/
Timothy G. Colburn, Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate l Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation