ML051890302

Environmental Assessment MC6225, Handling and Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel

ML051890302
Person / Time
Site:	Robinson
Issue date:	07/20/2005
From:	Chandu Patel NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2
To:	Moyer J Carolina Power & Light Co
Patel C P, NRR/DLPM, 415-3025
References
TAC MC6225
Download: ML051890302 (7)

Text

July 20, 2005 Mr. J. W. Moyer, Vice President Carolina Power & Light Company H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2 3581 West Entrance Road Hartsville, South Carolina 29550

SUBJECT:

H. B. ROBINSON STEAM ELECTRIC PLANT, UNIT NO. 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (TAC NO. MC6225)

Dear Mr. Moyer:

Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application dated February 22, 2005, as supplemented on May 10 and July 6, 2005, requesting an exemption from the requirements in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Section 68, "Criticality Accident Requirements, Subsection (b)(1). The proposed exemption would allow the handling and storage of spent nuclear fuel in a 10 CFR Part 72 licensed spent fuel storage container in the H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2 spent fuel pool with credit for soluble boron in the criticality analysis.

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

Sincerely,

/RA/

Chandu P. Patel, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-261

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: See next page

ML051890302 NRR-042 OFFICE PDII-2/PM PDII-2/LA RLEP-C/SC* OGC ** PDII-2/SC NAME CPatel EDunnington BZalcman JHull BMozafari for MMarshall DATE 7/20/05 7/8/05 7/11/05 7/20/05 7/20/05 7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION CAROLINA POWER AND LIGHT COMPANY DOCKET NO. 50-261 H. B. ROBINSON STEAM ELECTRIC PLANT, UNIT NO. 2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is considering issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Section 68, "Criticality Accident Requirements," Subsection (b)(1) for Facility Operating License No. DPR-23 issued to the Carolina Power and Light Company (the licensee) for operation of the H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2 (HBRSEP2) located in Darlington County, South Carolina. The NRC is issuing this environmental assessment pursuant to 10 CFR 51.21 and is making a finding of no significant impact (FONSI).

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Identification of the Proposed Action:

The proposed action would exempt the licensee from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.68, "Criticality Accident Requirements," Subsection (b)(1) during the spent fuel pool activities related to the underwater handling, loading, and unloading of the dry shielded canister (DSC) NUHOMS -24PTH as described in proposed Amendment No. 8 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1004 listed in 10 CFR 72.214. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensees application dated February 22, 2005, as supplemented on May 10 and July 6, 2005.

The Need for the Proposed Action:

In 10 CFR 50.68(b)(1), the Commission sets forth the following requirement that must be met in lieu of a monitoring system capable of detecting criticality events:

Plant procedures shall prohibit the handling and storage at any one time of more fuel assemblies than have been determined to be safely subcritical under the most adverse moderation conditions feasible by unborated water.

Section 50.12(a) of 10 CFR allows licensees to request an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 if the application of the regulation is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule and special conditions are met. The licensee stated that compliance with 10 CFR 50.68(b)(1) is not necessary for underwater handling, loading, and unloading of the DSC NUHOMS-24PTH in the HBRSEP2 spent fuel pool to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule. The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action and concludes that the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.68(b)(1) will still be satisfied if the exemption is granted. The details of the NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided in the exemption that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving the exemption to the regulation.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:

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 the amount of any effluent released off site. There is no significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological impacts associated with the proposed action.

With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-radiological 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 HBRSEP2 dated April 1975, and the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (NUREG-1437 Supplement 13) dated December 2003.

Agencies and Persons Consulted:

On July 11, 2005, the staff consulted with the South Carolina State official, Mr. Michael Gandy of the South Carolina Department of 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 set forth above, the NRC concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment and is therefore issuing this FONSI. 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 letters dated February 22, May 10, and July 6, 2005. 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 e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of July, 2005.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Chandu P. Patel, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Mr. J. W. Moyer H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Carolina Power & Light Company Unit No. 2 cc:

David T. Conley Mr. C. T. Baucom Associate General Counsel II - Legal Supervisor, Licensing/Regulatory Programs Department H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Progress Energy Service Company, LLC Unit No. 2 Post Office Box 1551 Carolina Power & Light Company Raleigh, North Carolina 27602-1551 3581 West Entrance Road Hartsville, South Carolina 29550 Ms. Margaret A. Force Assistant Attorney General Ms. Beverly Hall, Section Chief State of North Carolina N.C. Department of Environment Post Office Box 629 and Natural Resources Raleigh, North Carolina 27602 Division of Radiation Protection 3825 Barrett Dr.

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Raleigh, North Carolina 27609-7721 Resident Inspectors Office H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant Mr. Robert P. Gruber 2112 Old Camden Road Executive Director Hartsville, South Carolina 29550 Public Staff - NCUC 4326 Mail Service Center Mr. Dan Stoddard Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-4326 Plant General Manager H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Mr. Henry H. Porter, Assistant Director Unit No. 2 South Carolina Department of Health Carolina Power & Light Company Bureau of Land & Waste Management 3581 West Entrance Road 2600 Bull Street Hartsville, South Carolina 29550 Columbia, South Carolina 29201 Mr. William G. Noll Mr. Chris L. Burton Director of Site Operations Manager H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Performance Evaluation and Unit No. 2 Regulatory Affairs PEB 7 Carolina Power & Light Company Progress Energy 3581 West Entrance Road Post Office Box 1551 Hartsville, South Carolina 29550 Raleigh, North Carolina 27602-1551 Public Service Commission Mr. John H. ONeill, Jr.

State of South Carolina Shaw, Pittman, Potts, & Trowbridge Post Office Drawer 11649 2300 N Street NW.

Columbia, South Carolina 29211 Washington, DC 20037-1128 J. F. Lucas Manager - Support Services - Nuclear H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2 Carolina Power & Light Company 3581 West Entrance Road Hartsville, South Carolina 29550