ML093641018

Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

ML093641018
Person / Time
Site:	North Anna
Issue date:	01/21/2010
From:	V Sreenivas Plant Licensing Branch II
To:
Sreenivas V.NRR/DORL/LPL2-1 415-2597
References
Download: ML093641018 (5)

Text

[7590-01-P]

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY DOCKET NOS. 50-338 AND 50-339 NORTH ANNA POWER STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

[NRC-2010-0026]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an exemption, pursuant to Section 73.5, Specific exemptions, of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 73, Physical protection of plants and materials, from the implementation date for certain requirements of 10 CFR Part 73 for Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-4 and NPF-7, issued to Virginia Electric and Power Company, (the licensee), for operation of the North Anna Power Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (NAPS). In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, Criteria for and identification of licensing and regulatory actions requiring environmental assessments, the NRC prepared an environmental assessment documenting its finding. The NRC concluded that the proposed actions will have no significant environmental impact.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Identification of the Proposed Action:

The proposed action would exempt the NAPS from the required implementation date of March 31, 2010, for several new requirements of 10 CFR Part 73. Specifically, NAPS would be granted an exemption from being in full compliance with certain new requirements contained in Section 73.55, Requirements for physical protection of licensed activities in nuclear power reactors against radiological sabotage, of 10 CFR Part 73 by the March 31, 2010, deadline,

Power Reactor Security Requirements, 74 FR 13926, 13935 (March 27, 2009). Instead, the licensee has proposed an alternate full compliance implementation date of August 31, 2010, approximately five months beyond the date required by 10 CFR Part 73. The proposed action, an extension of the schedule for completion of certain actions required by the revised 10 CFR Part 73, does not involve any physical changes to the reactor, fuel, plant structures, support structures, water, or land at the NAPS site that were not previously considered in the environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact made by the Commission in promulgating its revision to 10 CFR Part 73, 74 FR 13967.

The proposed action is in accordance with the licensees application dated November 23, 2009.

The Need for the Proposed Action:

The proposed action is needed to provide the licensee with additional time to perform the required upgrades to the NAPS security system due to resource and logistical impacts of vendor availability.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:

The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed exemption. The staff has concluded that the proposed action to extend the implementation deadline would not significantly affect plant safety and would not have a significant adverse effect on the probability of an accident occurring.

The proposed action would not result in an increased radiological hazard beyond those previously analyzed in the environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact made by the Commission in promulgating its revisions to 10 CFR Part 73, 74 FR 13967. There will be no change to radioactive effluents that effect radiation exposures to plant workers and members of the public. Therefore, no changes or different types of radiological impacts are expected as a result of the proposed exemption.

The proposed action does not result in changes to land use or water use, or result in changes to the quality or quantity of non-radiological effluents. No changes to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit are needed. No effects on the aquatic or terrestrial habitat in the vicinity of the plant, or to threatened, endangered, or protected species under the Endangered Species Act, or impacts to essential fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Stevens Act are expected. There are no impacts to the air or ambient air quality.

There are no impacts to historical and cultural resources. There would be no impact to socioeconomic resources. Therefore, no changes to or different types of non-radiological environmental impacts are expected as a result of the proposed exemption.

Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. In addition, in promulgating its revisions to 10 CFR Part 73, the Commission prepared an environmental assessment and published a finding of no significant impact [Part 73, Power Reactor Security Requirements, 74 FR 13926, 13967 (March 27, 2009)].

The NRC staffs safety evaluation will be provided in the exemption, if granted, that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving the exemption to the regulation.

Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action:

As an alternative to the proposed actions, the NRC staff considered denial of the proposed actions (i.e., the no-action alternative). Denial of the exemption request would result in no change in current environmental impacts. If the proposed action was denied, the licensee would have to comply with the March 31, 2010, implementation deadline. The environmental impacts of the proposed exemption and the no action alternative are similar.

Alternative Use of Resources:

The action does not involve the use of any different resources than those considered in the Final Environmental Statement Related to the Continuation of Construction and the Operation of Units 1 and 2 and the Construction of Units 3 and 4, North Anna Power Station, dated April 1973, as supplemented through the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Supplement 7 Regarding North Anna Power Station, Units 1 and 2 - Final Report (NUREG-1437, Supplement 7), dated November 2002.

Agencies and Persons Consulted:

In accordance with its stated policy, on December 30, 2009, the NRC staff consulted with the Virginia State official, Mr. Les Foldesi, Division of Radiological Health of the Virginia 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 letters dated November 23, 2009. Portions of the November 23, 2009, submittal contain proprietary and safeguards information and, accordingly, are not available to the public. Other parts of these documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Room O-1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),

Rockville, Maryland 20852. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Website: 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.resource@nrc.gov.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of January 2010.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Dr. V. Sreenivas, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation