ML20210L894
| ML20210L894 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Surry  |
| Issue date: | 08/15/1997 |
| From: | Berkow H NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20210L898 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9708210346 | |
| Download: ML20210L894 (5) | |
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7590 01 P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY DOCKET NO. 50 280 AND 50 281 SURRY POWER STATION ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission (the Comission) is ccasidering issuance of an exemption from certain requirements of its regulations for Facility Operating License No. DPR-32 and Facility Operating License l
No. DPR 37, issued to Virginia Electric and Power Company (the licensee), for operation of the Surry Power Station located in Surry County, Virginia.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
]dentification of Pronosed Action:
The proposed action would exempt Virginia Electric and Power Company from the requirements of 10 CFR 70.24(a), which requires a monitoring system that will energize clear audible alarms if accidental criticality occurs in each area in which special nuclear material is handled, used, or stored. The proposed action would also exempt the licensee from the requirements to maintain emergency procedures for each area in which this licensed special nuclear material is handled, used, or stored to ensure that all personnel withdraw to an area of safety upon the sounding of the alarm, to familiarize personnel with the evacuation plan, and to designate responsible individuals for determining the cause of the alarm, and to place radiatioa survey instruments in accessible locations for use in such an emergency.
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The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's application for exemption dated January 28, 1997, as supplemented March 24, 1997.
The Need for the Pronoseu Action:
The purpose of 10 CFR 70.24 is to ensure that if a criticality were to 1
l-occur during the handling of special nuclear material, personnel would be alerted to that fact and would take appropriate action, At a commercial nuclear power plant the inadvertent criticality with which 10 CFR 70.24 is-concerned could occur during fuel handling operations.
The special nuclear material that could be assembled into a critical mass at a commercial nuclear power plant is in the form of nuclear fuel: the quantity of other forms of special nuclear material that is stored on site is small enough to preclude achieving a critical mass.
Because the fuel is not enriched beyond 4.1 weight percent Uranium 235 and because commercial nuclear plant licensees have procedures and features designed to prevent inadvertent criticality, the staff has determined that inadvertent criticality is not likely to occur due to the handling of special nuclear material at a commercial power reactor.
The requirements of 10 CFR 70.24(a), therefore, are not necessary to ensure the safety of personnel during the handling of special nuclear materials at commercial power reactors.
Environmental Imoacts of the Prooosed Action:
The Comission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes that there is no significant environmental impact if the exemption is granted.
Inadvertent or accidental criticality will be precl'uded through compliance with the Surry Power Station Technical Specifications (TS), the design of the fuel storage racks providing geometric spacing of fuel
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3-I assemblies in their storage locations, and administrative controls impcsed on fuel handling procedures. TS requirements specify reactivity limits for the fuel storage racks and minimum spacing between the fuel assemblies in the storage racks.
Appendix A of 10 CFR Part 50, " General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants " Criterion 62, requires that criticality in the fuel storage and handling system shall be prevented by physical systems or processes, preferably by use of geometrically safe configurations. This is met at Surry Units 1-and 2. -as identified in the TS.
Surry TS Section 5.4, Fuel Storage, states that the new fuel assemblies are stored vertically in an array with a distance of 21 inches between assemblies to assure that the effective neutron multiplication factor, K,,,, will remain s 0.95 if fully flooded with unborated water, and to assure K.,, s 0.98 under conditions of low density optimum moderation. The spent fuel assemblies are stored vertically in an array with a distance of 14 inches between assemblies to assure K,,, s 0.95 if fully flooded with unborated water.
The proposed exemption would not' result in any significant radiological impacts. The proposed exemption would not affect radiological plant effluents nor cause any significant occupational exposures since the TS, design controls, including geometric spacing of fuel assembly storage spaces, and administrative controls preclude inadvertent criticality. The amount of radioactive waste would not be changed by the proposed exemption.
4 The proposed exemption does not result in any significant nonradiological environmental impacts. The preposed exemption involves features located entirely within the restricted area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20.
It does not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Accordingly, the Comission concludes that there are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
6,lternatives to the Procosed Action:
Since the Commission has concluded that there is no measurable environmental impact associated with the proposed action, any alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be evaluated.
As an alternative to the proposed exemption, the staff considered denial of the requested exemption.
Denial of the request 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:
This action does not involve the use of any resources not previously considered in the " Final Environmental Statement for the Surry Power Station."
6gencies and Persons Consulted:
In accordance with its stated policy the NRC staff consulted with Mr.
Foldesi of the Virginia Mpartment of Health on August 15,1997, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no comments.
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fjyQ1NGOFNOSIGNIFICANTIMPACT
-Based upon the environmental assessment, the Commission concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment, Accordingly, the Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action.
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the licensee's letter dated January 28, 1997, as supplemented March 24, 1997, which is available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room. which is located at The Gelman Building. 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at the local public document room located at the Swem Library. College of William and Mary. Williamsburg, Virginia.
Dated at Rekville, Maryland, this 15th day of August 1997.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION rbert N. Berkow. Director 1
roject Directorate 11-2 Division of Reactor Projects I/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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