ML11362A430

Enclosure 1: Grand Gulf Nuclear Station License Renewal Application

ML11362A430
Person / Time
Site:	Grand Gulf
Issue date:	03/04/2011
From:	John Thomas Enercon Services
To:	Bernhart D US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Drucker D, 415-6223
References
Download: ML11362A430 (4)

Text

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ENERCON Excellence-Every project. Every day March 4, 2011 Mr. David Bernhart Assistant Regional Administrator NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office Protected Resources Division 263 13th Avenue South Saint Petersburg, Florida 33701 RE : Grand Gulf Nuclear Station License Renewal Application

Dear Mr. Bernhart,

In 2011 , Entergy plans to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for renewal of the operating license for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS), which is located in Claiborne County, Mississippi on the east bank of the Mississippi River at River Mile 406, approximately 25 miles south of Vicksburg, Mississippi and 37 miles north-northeast of Natchez, Mississippi. The existing operating license for GGNS was issued for a 40-year term that expires in 2024. If the NRC approves the application, Entergy will then have the option to continue operating GGNS until 2044. In conjunction with this effort, Enercon is gathering information on Entergy's behalf relative to this license renewal project.

The NRC requires that the license renewal application for GGNS include an environmental report assessing potential environmental impacts from operation during the license renewal term . One of these potential environmental impacts would be the effect of license renewal on threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat located on the GGNS site, its immediate environs (6-mile radius), and transmission line corridors constructed for purposes of connecting the plant to the regional transmission grid. Accordingly, the NRC requires that the environmental report for each license renewal application assess such a potential effect (10 CFR 51 .53).

Later, during its review of the license renewal environmental report pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NRC may request information from your office to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.

Enercon is contacting you now in order to obtain input regarding issues that may need to be addressed in the GGNS license renewal environmental report, and to assist Entergy in identifying any information your staff believes would be helpful to expedite NRC's review.

The 2,100 acre GGNS site consists primarily of woodlands and former farms as well as two lakes, Hamilton Lake and Gin Lake (see Figure 1). The land in the vicinity of the GGNS site is mostly rural. There are two transmission corridors containing a single-circuit 500-:kV transmission lines that were constructed for purposes of connecting Corporate' Headquarters 5700 Ea st Skelly Drive Sui t e 450 Tulsa, OK 74735 phone 978 . 665 .7693 fax 9 78 . 665.7232 ene r co n . c om

Mr. David Bernhart Assistant Regional Administrator NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office Protected Resources Division Page 2 of 2 GGNS to the regional electricity grid (see Figure 2). These transmission line corridors are considered by the NRC to be within the scope of its environmental reviews for the renewal of the GGNS operating license. Entergy's Transmission group owns and operates these two lines. The total length of the two corridors is approximately 66 miles,

. and crosses Claiborne, Warren, Jefferson and Franklin Counties in Mississippi.

Based on a review of information available, Enercon did not identify any threatened and endangered species or designated critical habitats under the jurisdiction of the NOAA fisheries service at the station site, the immediate environs, or the transmission line corridors (see Figures 1 and 2). However, even in the absence of these species or designated critical habitats, Entergy does not expect GGNS operations during the license renewal term to adversely affect any threatened and endangered species or critical habitats since there are no plans to alter current operations during the 20-year license renewal period, and any maintenance activities necessary to support continued operation of GGNS would be limited to currently developed areas of the site. Although administrative procedural controls are in place to comply with applicable state and federal laws to preserve biological resources when facility expansion or land disturbance activities do occur, no expansion is planned or needed in support of license renewal. In addition, Entergy's Transmission group has established maintenance procedures for transmission lines that involve minimal disturbance of land, wetlands, and streams and are protective of threatened and endangered species, and designated critical habitats when present.

After your review of the information provided in this letter, I would appreciate you sending a letter detailing any concerns you may have about potential impacts as a result of license renewal to threatened and endangered species or designated critical habitat under your jurisdiction on the GGNS property, immediate environs, or along the "transmission line corridors, or alternatively, confirming our conclusion that no species or habitats under the jurisdiction of NOAA exists, and thereby no associated impacts.

Entergy will include copies of this letter and your response in the environmental report submitted to the NRC as part of the GGNS license renewal application.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (918) 665-7693 or through my email address, jthomas@enercon.com. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

mes A. Thomas .

anager, Electric Utilities Environmental Services Attachment Mile Map 50-Mile Map

. cc: Rick Buckley (Entergy)

Figure 1 Location of GGNS, 6-Mile Radius Map Legend

~r:.

J~, o Helicopter Pad CTI Urban Areas --+- Active Railroads IJ Recreation Area C:J Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS) _ Lakes and Ponds -+- Abandoned Railroads l!J Principal Historical Site

- -

023 4 Miles o_ 6*Mile (10 km) Vicin~y - - Highways =r:==Nalural Gas Line C:'::'-] County Boundary

~t GGNS Buildin gs - - Other Princi pal Roads l~I Slate Boundary Prepared by: F. \!\-'oolridge; FebnJary 4, 2010 ......... Existing Transmission Corridor - - County/Local Roads

Figure 2 Location of GGNS, 50-Mile Radius Map N

\ ' ~I~o

~ ...-,- ,.

• Miles o 5 10 15 20

~ Airports

....... Existing Transmission Corridor

- Interstate

- U.S. Highway

~ State Highway/Road

- Natchez Trace Parkway

--+- Rail

( ) 6-Mile Radius

_

o 50-Mile Radius Surface Water o GGNS Property

~ State Wildlife Mgmt Areas

• State Parks bZSi National Forest en National Wildlife Refuge CIJ Urban Areas