ML071310312

Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Proposed Licensee Name Change

ML071310312
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	06/08/2007
From:	Thadani M NRC/NRR/ADRO/DORL/LPLIV
To:	Sheppard J South Texas
Thadani, M C, NRR/DORL/LP4, 415-1476
References
TAC MD5268, TAC MD5269
Download: ML071310312 (11)

Text

June 8, 2007 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:

SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT RE: PROPOSED LICENSEE NAME CHANGE (TAC NOS. MD5268 AND MD5269)

Dear Mr. Sheppard:

Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application for amendments dated April 4, 2006. The proposed amendments would change the name of one licensee Texas Genco LP to NRG South Texas LP.

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

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mohan C. Thadani, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch IV Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499

Enclosure:

Environmental Assessment cc w/encl: See next page

South Texas Project, Units 1 & 2 cc:

Senior Resident Inspector E. D. Halpin U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Site Vice President P.O. Box 289 STP Nuclear Operating Company Wadsworth, TX 77483 South Texas Project Electric Generating Station C. M. Canady P.O. Box 289 City of Austin Wadsworth, TX 77483 Electric Utility Department 721 Barton Springs Road S. M. Head, Manager, Licensing Austin, TX 78704 STP Nuclear Operating Company P.O. Box 289, Mail Code: N5014 J. J. Nesrsta/R. K. Temple Wadsworth, TX 77483 E. Alercon/Kevin Pollo City Public Service Board C. T. Bowman P.O. Box 1771 General Manager, Oversight San Antonio, TX 78296 STP Nuclear Operating Company P.O Box 389 INPO Wadsworth, TX 77483 Records Center 700 Galleria Parkway Marilyn Kistler Atlanta, GA 30339-3064 Sr. Staff Specialist, Licensing STP Nuclear Operating Company Regional Administrator, Region IV P.O. Box 289, Mail Code 5014 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wadsworth, TX 77483 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400 Arlington, TX 76011 Environmental and Natural Resources Policy Director Steve Winn/Christie Jacobs P.O. Box 12428 Eddy Daniels/Marty Ryan Austin, TX 78711-3189 NRC Energy, Inc.

211 Carnegie Center Jon C. Wood Princeton, NJ 08540 Cox, Smith, & Matthews 112 East Pecan, Suite 1800 Judge, Matagorda County San Antonio, TX 78205 Matagorda County Courthouse 1700 Seventh Street Director Bay City, TX 77414 Division of Compliance & Inspection Bureau of Radiation Control A. H. Gutterman, Esq. Texas Department of State Health Services Morgan, Lewis & Bockius 1100 West 49th Street 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Austin, TX 78756 Washington, DC 20004 South Texas Project, Units 1 & 2 March 2007

cc:

Mr. Ted Enos Ken Coates 4200 South Hulen Plant General Manager Suite 422 STP Nuclear Operating Company Ft. Worth, TX 76109 South Texas Project Electric Generating Station Brian Almon P.O. Box 289 Public Utility Commission Wadsworth, TX 77483 William B. Travis Building P.O. Box 13326 Mr. Terry Parks, Chief Inspector 1701 North Congress Avenue Texas Department of Licensing Austin, TX 78701-3326 and Regulation Boiler Division Susan M. Jablonski P.O. Box 12157 Office of Permitting, Remediation Austin, TX 78711 and Registration Texas Commission on Environmental Quality MC-122 P.O. Box 13087 Austin, TX 78711-3087 March 2007

7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STP NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY DOCKET NOS. 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 (NRC) is considering issuance of amendments to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Section 50.92, for Facility Operating Licenses numbered NPF-76 and NPF-80, issued to STP Nuclear Operating Company (the licensee), for operation of the South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2, located in Matagorda County. 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 change the name of one licensee Texas Genco LP (Texas Genco), to NRG South Texas LP.

The proposed action is in accordance with the licensees application dated April 4, 2006.

The Need for the Proposed Action:

The proposed action results from the purchase of Texas Gencos parent company by NRG Energy, Inc. as approved by the NRC in January 2006.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:

The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action and concludes that: (1) there is a reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations, and (3) the issuance of the amendments will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.

The details of the staffs safety evaluation will be provided in the license amendments that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving the license amendments.

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 environmental 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 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 South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2, NUREG-1171, dated August 1986.

Agencies and Persons Consulted:

In accordance with its stated policy, on June 8, 2007, the staff consulted with the Texas State 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, 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 April 4, 2006. 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 send an e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of June, 2007.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Mohan C. Thadani, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch IV Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

June 8, 2007 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:

SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT RE: PROPOSED LICENSEE NAME CHANGE (TAC NOS. MD5268 AND MD5269)

Dear Mr. Sheppard:

Enclosed is a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to your application for amendments dated April 4, 2006. The proposed amendments would change the name of one licensee Texas Genco LP to NRG South Texas LP.

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

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mohan C. Thadani, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch IV Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499

Enclosure:

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

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• No Legal Objection OFFICE NRR/LPL4/PM NRR/LPL4/PM NRR/LPL4/LA DLR/REB(A) OGC* NRR/LPL4/BC NAME JEargle MThadani JBurkhardt EBenner Utal THiltz DATE 5/21/07 5/21/07 5/18/07 6/5/07 5/29/07 6/8/07 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY