ML15104A493

Preliminary Site-Specific Results of the Environmental Review for Braidwood Station License Renewal

ML15104A493
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	04/14/2015
From:	Division of License Renewal
To:
References
Download: ML15104A493 (22)

Text

Preliminary Site Site-Specific Specific Results of the Environmental Review for Braidwood Station License Renewal

Meeting Background Exelon has applied to renew the Braidwood operating licenses.

The NRC:

is reviewing that application.

is reviewing the environmental impact of license renewal.

has developed preliminary results of that review review.

wants your comments on those results.

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Overview NRC presentation NRCs regulatory g y role Summary of environmental review Upcoming milestones and how to submit comments outside this meeting Your comments 3

NRCs NRC s Regulatory Role NRC regulates commercial use of nuclear materials including g nuclear power plants NRCs mission:

Protect public health and safety Promote common defense and security Protect the environment 4

License Renewal Process O it Onsite Inspections Safety Review Application Independent Review Review License Rene Renewal al Application**

submitted to NRC NRC Decision Hearings*

On Application**

Environmental Review

• If a Request for Hearing is Granted

• • Available at www.nrc.gov 5

License Review Status License renewal review status (safety and environmental) is on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/

applications/byron-braidwood html applications/byron-braidwood.html 6

Environmental Review Milestones Application Received May 29, 29 2013 Notice of Intent July 31, 2013 Scoping p g Public Meeting g August g 21,, 2013 Scoping Period Ended September 27, 2013 Scoping Summary Report April 3, 2014 Draft SEIS March 18, 2015 Draft SEIS Public Meeting April 21, 2015 Draft SEIS Comments Due May 1212, 2015 Final SEIS September 2015 7

Purpose and Need f Proposed for P d Federal F d l Action A i

• The proposed federal action is issuance of renewed licenses for Braidwood Station.

• The p purpose p and need is to p provide a p power generation option beyond the current license to meet future system generating needs to be determined by energy-planning decision makers.

• The NRC does not have a role in the energy-planning l i d decisions i i off state regulators l and d utility ili officials.

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Environmental Review Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) addresses issues common to all plants Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) addresses site-specific issues for Braidwood Station (Braidwood) license renewal Review proposed action (license renewal) and alternatives 9

Analysis Approach Generic Environmental Impact p Statement (GEIS)

Category 1 Issues Category 2 Issues GEIS: Impacts Same GEIS: Require analyses Potential At All Sites of Impacts At All Sites New Issue New and YES YES Perform Site Site-- Validated Significant Specific Analysis New Issue?

Info?

NO NO Adopt GEIS Conclusion SEIS No Further Analysis 10

How Impacts are Quantified NRC NRC-defined defined impact levels:

SMALL - Effects are not detectable or are so minor that they will neither destabilize nor noticeably alter an important attribute of the resource.

MODERATE - Effects are sufficient to alter noticeably but not to destabilize, noticeably, destabilize important attributes of the resource.

LARGE - Effects are clearly noticeable and are sufficient to destabilize important attributes of the resource.

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How Impacts are Defined

• Special Status Species no effect may affect but not likely to adversely affect may affect and is likely to adversely affect

• Cultural and Historic resources effects on cultural and historic resources

• Environmental Justice (Executive Order 12898) ddisproportionately sp opo t o ate y high g aandd ad adverse e se impacts pacts 12

Resource Areas Under Review Atmospheric Science Radiation Socioeconomics/ Protection Regulatory Environmental Justice Compliance Terrestrial Ecologygy Nuclear Safety Aquatic Land Use Ecology Archaeology/Historical Resources Hydrology 13

Cumulative Cu u at e Impacts pacts Overall impacts to environment including past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions evaluated to end of 20-year renewal term geographic boundaries dependent on resource Preliminary findings MODERATE to LARGE impacts on terrestrial ecology and groundwater MODERATE iimpacts t on aquatic ti ecology l andd climate li t change (green house gas impacts)

SMALL to MODERATE impacts p on surface water SMALL impacts on all other resources 14

Braidwood License Renewal p

Impacts Reviewing Areas Impact DSEIS Section Land Use SMALL 42 4.2 Air Quality SMALL 4.3 Geologic Environment SMALL 4.4 Water Resources SMALL 4.5 Terrestrial Resources SMALL 4.6 Aquatic Resources SMALL to MODERATE* 4.7 Special Status Species No Effect to May Affect but Not 48 4.8 Likely to Adversely Affect Historic and Cultural Resources No Adverse Effect 4.9 Socioeconomics SMALL 4.10 Human Health SMALL 4 11 4.11 Environment Justice No Disproportionately High 4.12 and Adverse Impacts Waste Management SMALL 4.13

• Impacts of impingement-and-entrainment and thermal effects on aquatic resources are SMALL to MODERATE 15

Impingement and Entrainment I

Impacts t on Aquatic A ti Resources R

Impingement of the State-endangered pallid shiner may create a noticeable effect on this species population in Illinois.

Impacts from larval entrainment would be noticeable ti bl ffor llow population l ti species i ((e.g., Percina P i spp., darters, and pallid shiner).

Exelon E l h has mitigation iti ti measures iin th the B Braidwood id d NPDES permit and engineered-and-operational controls.

controls 16

Thermal Impacts on Aquatic Resources Under Clean Water Act, the cooling pond is considered by the State of Illinois as a wastewater treatment facility.

facility Based on the information on fish kills, the thermal impacts to the cooling pond aquatic community are noticeable and adverse.

Exelon has consulted with experts for mitigation and concluded that there are no practical or simple p solutions that could p prevent the occurrence of fish die-offs at Braidwood Lake.

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Continued Co t ued Sto Storage age Rule ue Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Continued Storage (CS) Rule addresses management of spent fuel after the renewal term Braidwood SEIS incorporates conformal environmental impacts from CS GEIS (NUREG-2157) and Rule (10 CFR 51.23)

Impacts of onsite storage of SNF are addressed in CS GEIS and Rule Radiological impacts of offsite SNF and high-level waste disposal are addressed in 10 CFR 51 18

Alternatives Alternative energy sources analyzed New generation (Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear)

Combination of alternatives (Wind, Gas, and Solar)

Purchased electrical power Other considered but dismissed alternatives (e.g., oil, energy efficiency and conservation, biomass, fuel cells)

No action alternative 19

Preliminary Conclusion The NRC staffs preliminary recommendation is that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for Braidwood Station are not so great that preserving i ththe option ti off lilicense renewall for energy-planning decisionmakers would be unreasonable.

unreasonable 20

Additional Information Environmental Project Manager:

Richard Baum

((800)) 368-5642, Ext. 0018 richard.baum@nrc.gov The draft SEIS can be viewed at:

Fossil Ridge Public Library, 386 W. Kennedy Road, Braidwood, IL 60408 NRCs Web site (www.nrc.gov):

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/

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Submitting Comments After the Meeting By mail: Chief Rules Chief, Rules, Announcements Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB)

Division of Administrative Services Mailstop OWFN-12-H08 U.S. NRC, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 In person: 11545 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland Internet: www.regulations.gov, docket ID: NRC-2013-0169 Comments due by May 12, 2015 22