ML031990184

Environmental Assessment, Revise Facility Operating Licenses NPF-76 and NPF-80 by Replacing Central Power and Light Company (Cpl) with Aep Texas Central Company

ML031990184
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	07/18/2003
From:	Thadani M NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD4
To:	Sheppard J South Texas
Thadani M, NRR/DLPM, 415-1476
References
Download: ML031990184 (8)

Text

July 18, 2003 Mr. James J. Sheppard President and Chief Executive Officer STP Nuclear Operating Company South Texas Project Electric Generating Station P. O. Box 289 Wadsworth, TX 77483

SUBJECT:

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT RELATED TO THE SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT, UNITS 1 AND 2 -

(TAC NO. MB8483 AND MB8484)

Dear Mr. Sheppard:

Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application for amendments dated March 31, 2003. The proposed amendments would revise Facility Operating License (FOL) No. NPF-76 and NPF-80 for the South Texas Projects, Units 1 and 2 respectively, by replacing "Central Power and Light Company (CPL)"

with "AEP Texas Central Company" throughout the FOL of each unit. This reflects the agreement that CPL entered into, transferring rights to use the name of the other company.

The assessment is being forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mohan C. Thadani. Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate IV Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499

Enclosure:

Environmental Assessment cc w/encl: See next page

July 18, 2003 Mr. James J. Sheppard President and Chief Executive Officer STP Nuclear Operating Company South Texas Project Electric Generating Station P. O. Box 289 Wadsworth, TX 77483

SUBJECT:

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT RELATED TO THE SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT, UNITS 1 AND 2 -

(TAC NO. MB8483 AND MB8484)

Dear Mr. Sheppard:

Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application for amendments dated March 31, 2003. The proposed amendments would revise Facility Operating License (FOL) No. NPF-76 and NPF-80 for the South Texas Projects, Units 1 and 2 respectively, by replacing "Central Power and Light Company (CPL)"

with "AEP Texas Central Company" throughout the FOL of each unit. This reflects the agreement that CPL entered into, transferring rights to use the name of the other company.

The assessment is being forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mohan C. Thadani. Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate IV Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499

Enclosure:

Environmental Assessment cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC PDIV-1 r/f RidsNrrDlpmLpdiv (H. Berkow)

RidsNrrPMMThadani RidsNrrLAMMcAllister RidsAcrsAcnwMailCenter RidsOgcRp RidsRgn4MailCenter (B.Johnson)

MDusaniwsky RidsNrrPMNKalyanam RidsNrrDlpmPdivLpdiv1(RGramm)

JTappert ACCESSION NO: ML031990184 *No legal objection OFFICE PDIV-1/PM PDIV-1/PM PDIV-1/LA PDIV-1/SC OGC* DRIP:RLEP/ES NAME NKalyanam MThadani MMcAllister RGramm SUttal REmch for JTappert DATE 7/15/03 7/17/03 7/16/03 7/17/03 7/16/03 7/17/03 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STP NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY DOCKET NO. 50-498 AND 50-499 SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT, UNITS 1 AND 2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is considering issuance of amendments to Facility Operating Licenses No. NPF-76 and NPF-80, issued to STP Nuclear Operating Company* (STPNOC) acting on behalf of itself and for Texas Genco, LP, the City Public Service Board of San Antonio (CPS), Central Power and Light Company (CPL), and the City of Austin, Texas (COA) (the licensees), dated March 31, 2003, (the licensee), for operation of the South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2 located in Matagorda County, Texas. Therefore, as required by Section 10 CFR 51.21 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)

Part 50, the Commission is issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Identification of the Proposed Action:

The proposed action would revise Facility Operating Licenses No. NPF-76 and NPF-80, replacing "Central Power and Light Company (CPL)" with "AEP Texas Central Company" throughout the Operating License of each unit.

• STP Nuclear Operating Company is authorized to act for Texas Genco, LP, the City Public Service Board of San Antonio, Central Power and Light Company, and the City of Austin, Texas, and has exclusive responsibility and control over the physical construction, operation, and maintenance of the facility.

The proposed action is in accordance with the licensees application dated March 31, 2003.

The Need for the Proposed Action:

The application was submitted by STPNOC, acting on behalf of itself and for Texas Genco, LP, the City Public Service Board of San Antonio, Central Power and Light Company, and the City of Austin, Texas. The amendments change the operating license to reflect a change in the name of "Central Power and Light Company (CPL)," a licensed co-owner of the facility, to "AEP Texas Central Company (AEP)," effective December 23, 2002.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:

The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and changes to the licenses. We agree with the licensee that the name change will not impact the existing ownership of South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2 or the existing entitlement to power and will not alter the existing antitrust license conditions applicable to STPNOCs ability to comply with these conditions or with any of its other obligations or responsibilities. As stated by the licensee, "With the exception of this name change, this transaction does not in any way affect the qualifications of AEP Texas Central Company for ownership of 25.2% [percent] of South Texas Project Electric Generating Station Units 1 and 2 (STPEGS), nor does it involve any direct or indirect transfer of control of the STPEGS Operating Licenses." Therefore, the change will not increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types or amounts of any 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 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 Commission concludes that there are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action:

Since the Commission has concluded there is no measurable environmental impact associated with the proposed action, any alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be evaluated. As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered denial of the proposed action. 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:

This action does not involve the use of any different resources than those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2.

Agencies and Persons Consulted:

On July 15, 2003, the staff consulted with the Texas State official, Arthur Tate of the Division of Compliance and Inspection, Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Radiation Control, 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 licensees application dated March 31, 2003. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21,

11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of July 2003.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Robert A. Gramm, Chief, Section 1 Project Directorate IV Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

South Texas, Units 1 & 2 cc:

Mr. Cornelius F. OKeefe A. H. Gutterman, Esq.

Senior Resident Inspector Morgan, Lewis & Bockius U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW P. O. Box 910 Washington, DC 20004 Bay City, TX 77414 Mr. T. J. Jordan, Vice President A. Ramirez/C. M. Canady Engineering & Technical Services City of Austin STP Nuclear Operating Company Electric Utility Department P. O. Box 289 721 Barton Springs Road Wadsworth, TX 77483 Austin, TX 78704 S. M. Head, Manager, Licensing Mr. L. K. Blaylock Nuclear Quality & Licensing Department Mr. W. C. Gunst STP Nuclear Operating Company City Public Service Board P. O. Box 289, Mail Code: N5014 P. O. Box 1771 Wadsworth, TX 77483 San Antonio, TX 78296 Environmental and Natural Resources Mr. C. A. Johnson/A. C. Bakken Policy Director AEP Texas Central Company P. O. Box 12428 P. O. Box 289 Austin, TX 78711-3189 Mail Code: N5022 Wadsworth, TX 77483 Jon C. Wood Matthews & Branscomb INPO 112 East Pecan, Suite 1100 Records Center San Antonio, TX 78205 700 Galleria Parkway Atlanta, GA 30339-3064 Arthur C. Tate, Director Division of Compliance & Inspection Regional Administrator, Region IV Bureau of Radiation Control U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Texas Department of Health 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400 1100 West 49th Street Arlington, TX 76011 Austin, TX 78756 D. G. Tees/R. L. Balcom Brian Almon Texas Genco, LP Public Utility Commission P. O. Box 1700 William B. Travis Building Houston, TX 77251 P. O. Box 13326 1701 North Congress Avenue Judge, Matagorda County Austin, TX 78701-3326 Matagorda County Courthouse 1700 Seventh Street Bay City, TX 77414 May 2003

South Texas, Units 1 & 2 Susan M. Jablonski Office of Permitting, Remediation and Registration Texas Commission on Environmental Quality MC-122 P.O. Box 13087 Austin, TX 78711-3087 Mr. Terry Parks, Chief Inspector Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Boiler Division P. O. Box 12157 Austin, TX 78711 Mr. Ted Enos 4200 South Hulen Suite 630 Ft. Worth, Texas 76109