ML041550183

Environment Assessment Reactor Vessel Closure Head/Vessel Flange Requirements Evaluation

ML041550183
Person / Time
Site:	Sequoyah
Issue date:	06/03/2004
From:	Marshall M NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2
To:	Singer K Tennessee Valley Authority
Marshall M. NRR/DLPM 415-2734
References
TAC MB7321, TAC MB7322
Download: ML041550183 (8)

Text

June 3, 2004 Mr. Karl W. Singer Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (TAC NOS. MB7321 AND MB7322)

Dear Mr. Singer:

Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application dated September 6, 2002, as supplemented on December 19, 2002, March 28, June 24, September 3, October 22, and December 18, 2003, requesting an exemption from the requirements in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)

Part 50, Appendix G, "Fracture Toughness Requirements. The proposed exemption would allow use of the methods described in WCAP-15984, Revision 1, Reactor Vessel Closure Head/ Vessel Flange Requirements Evaluation for Sequoyah Units 1 and 2, instead of the requirements in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G, footnote 2 to Table 1, Pressure and Temperature Requirements for the Reactor Pressure Vessel, for the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.

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

Sincerely,

/RA/

Michael L. Marshall, Jr., Senior Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-327 and 50-328

Enclosure:

Environmental Assessment cc w/encl: See next page

June 3, 2004 Mr. Karl W. Singer Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (TAC NOS. MB7321 AND MB7322)

Dear Mr. Singer:

Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application dated September 6, 2002, as supplemented on December 19, 2002, March 28, June 24, September 3, October 22, and December 18, 2003, requesting an exemption from the requirements in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)

Part 50, Appendix G, "Fracture Toughness Requirements. The proposed exemption would allow use of the methods described in WCAP-15984, Revision 1, Reactor Vessel Closure Head/ Vessel Flange Requirements Evaluation for Sequoyah Units 1 and 2, instead of the requirements in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G, footnote 2 to Table 1, Pressure and Temperature Requirements for the Reactor Pressure Vessel, for the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.

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

Sincerely,

/RA/

Michael L. Marshall, Jr., Senior Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-327 and 50-328

Enclosure:

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

PUBLIC PDII-2 R/F RidsNrrDlpmLpdii (E. Hackett)

RidsNrrDlpmLpdii2 (W. Burton) RidsNrrPMMMarhsall B. Clayton (hard copy) RidsOgcRp RidsAcrsAcnwMailCenter MMitchell JTappert RidsRgn2MailCenter (S.Cahill)

Adams Accession No. ML041550183 OFFICE PDII-2/PM PDII-2/LA RLEP-C/SC OGC PDII-2/SC NAME MMarshall BClayton JTappert SLewis WBurton DATE 5/20/2004 5/24/2004 05/20/2004 05/27/2004 06/02/20/04 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Mr. Karl W. Singer SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR PLANT Tennessee Valley Authority cc:

Mr. Ashok Bhatnagar, Senior Vice President Mr. Pedro Salas, Manager Nuclear Operations Licensing and Industry Affairs Tennessee Valley Authority Sequoyah Nuclear Plant 6A Lookout Place Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market Street P.O. Box 2000 Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 Mr. James E. Maddox, Vice President Mr. David A. Kulisek, Plant Manager Engineering & Technical Services Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place P.O. Box 2000 1101 Market Street Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. M. Scott Freeman Mr. Randy Douet, Senior Resident Inspector Site Vice President Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Sequoyah Nuclear Plant U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Tennessee Valley Authority 2600 Igou Ferry Road P.O. Box 2000 Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 Mr. Lawrence E. Nanney, Director General Counsel Division of Radiological Health Tennessee Valley Authority Dept. of Environment & Conservation ET 11A Third Floor, L and C Annex 400 West Summit Hill Drive 401 Church Street Knoxville, TN 37902 Nashville, TN 37243-1532 Mr. T. J. Niessen, Acting General Manager County Mayor Nuclear Assurance Hamilton County Courthouse Tennessee Valley Authority Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Ms. Ann P. Harris Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 341 Swing Loop Road Rockwood, Tennessee 37854 Mr. Mark J. Burzynski, Manager Nuclear Licensing Heinz Mueller [5 copies]

Tennessee Valley Authority Environmental Review Coordinator 4X Blue Ridge US EPA Region 4 1101 Market Street 61 Forsyth Street, SW.

Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3104

7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY DOCKET NO. 50-327 AND 50-328 SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR PLANT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an exemption from the requirements in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)

Part 50, Appendix G, "Fracture Toughness Requirements for Facility Operating License Nos.

DPR-77 and DPR-79, issued to Tennessee Valley Authority (the licensee), for operation of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (SQN), located in Hamilton County, Tennessee. 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 exemption would allow use of the methods described in WCAP-15984, Revision 1, Reactor Vessel Closure Head/ Vessel Flange Requirements Evaluation for Sequoyah Units 1 and 2, instead of the requirements in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G, footnote 2 to Table 1, Pressure and Temperature Requirements for the Reactor Pressure Vessel, for the SQN.

The proposed action is in accordance with the licensees application dated September 6, 2002, as supplemented on December 19, 2002, March 28, June 24, September 3, October 22, and December 18, 2003. The supplemental letters provided clarifying information that did not expand the scope of the original request.

The Need for the Proposed Action:

The licensees exemption request was made in support of an associated licensing action, submitted in the same letter, to adopt a Pressure-Temperature Limit Report for SQN, Units 1 and 2. Section 50.12(a) of 10 CFR allows licensees to apply for an exemption from the requirements of Part 50 if, (1) the exemption will not present an undue risk to the protection of public health and safety and common defense and security and (2) the application of the regulation in the particular circumstances is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule. The licensee has stated that compliance with the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) flange minimum temperature requirements of Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50 is not necessary to meet the underlying purpose of the rule (i.e., to provide adequate margins of safety with regard to pressure boundary integrity for any condition of normal operation for the service life of the RPV).

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:

The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes that the exemption described above would continue to satisfy the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.68(b)(1). The details of the staff's safety evaluation will be provided with the letter to the licensee approving the exemption to the regulation.

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.

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 have a potential to affect 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.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action:

As an alternative to the proposed action, the 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 different resources than those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 dated February 13, 1974.

Agencies and Persons Consulted:

On April 28, 2004, the staff consulted with the Tennessee State official, Elizebeth Flannagin of the Tennessee Bureau of Radiological Health, 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 letter dated September 6, 2002, as supplemented on December 19, 2002, March 28, June 24, September 3, October 22, and December 18, 2003. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR), 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 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 at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or send an email to pdr@nrc.gov.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of June 2004.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

William F. Burton, Acting Chief, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation