ML053460114

11/17/05 - Preliminary Results of Environmental Review Nine Mile Point Power Station, Units 1 and 2, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, November 17, 2005

ML053460114
Person / Time
Site:	Nine Mile Point
Issue date:	11/17/2005
From:	Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Franovich R L NRC/NRR/ADRO/DLR/REBB
Fields, L C, NRR/DLR/REBB, 415-1186
References
TAC MC3274, TAC MC3275
Download: ML053460114 (34)

Text

Preliminary Results of Preliminary Results of Environmental Review Environmental Review Nine Mile Point Power Nine Mile Point Power Station, Units 1 and 2 Station, Units 1 and 2 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission November 17, 2005 2 Purpose of Today's Purpose of Today's Meeting MeetingDiscuss NRC's license renewal processDescribe the environmental review processDiscuss the results of our reviewProvide the review scheduleAccept any comments you may have todayDescribe how to submit comments 3 NRC's NRC's Regulatory Oversight Regulatory OversightAtomic Energy ActIssue operating licensesRegulate civilian use of nuclear materialsNRC'sMissionTitle 10, Code of Federal Regulations 4 Nine Mile Point Nuclear Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 Station, Units 1 and 2 License Renewal License RenewalOperating licenses expireAugust 2009 for Unit 1October 2026 for Unit 2Application requests authorization to operate Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years.

5 License Renewal Process License Renewal ProcessEnvironmentalEnvironmentalReviewReviewApplicationApplicationReviewReview NRC Decision NRC Decision On Application On Application

• • • • • If a Request for Hearing is Granted ** Available at www.nrc.gov License Renewal License Renewal Application**

Application**

submitted to NRC submitted to NRC Safety SafetyReviewReview Onsite Onsite Inspections Inspections Independent IndependentReviewReview Hearings*Hearings*

6 Scope of License Scope of License Renewal Safety Review Renewal Safety Review Limited to Aging ManagementSystems, structures and components important to safetyDetermined by license renewal scoping

criteriaNot on Ongoing Oversight of Current IssuesSecurityEmergency PlanningSafety Performance 7 Safety Review Process Safety Review Process Safety EvaluationAuditsEvaluation of technical informationPlant inspectionsIndependent ReviewAdvisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) 8 Safety Review Process Safety Review ProcessSafetyReview Onsite Onsite Inspection(s)

Inspection(s)

Inspection Inspection Report(s)Report(s)Issued**Issued**Safety Evaluation Safety Evaluation ReviewReviewSafetySafetyEvaluationEvaluationReport Issued**Report Issued**

ACRS ACRS Letter Issued**

Letter Issued**NRC DecisionNRC DecisionOn Application**On Application**RegionalRegional Administrator Administrator Letter Issued Letter Issued Local Public Information MeetingHearings*Public Meeting(s)-Tech. Issues -Audit ExitAdvisory Committee onReactor Safety (ACRS)Review PublicExit Meeting(s)* If a Request for Hearing is Granted Opportunities for Public Interaction** Available at www.nrc.govLicense Renewal License Renewal Application**Application**

submitted to NRC submitted to NRC 9 Environmental Review Environmental Review Process ProcessEnvironmentalReview Draft DraftSupplement Supplement To GEISTo GEIS Issued**Issued**FinalFinalSupplement Supplement To GEIS Issued**To GEIS Issued**

Site SiteEnvironmentalEnvironmental Audit Audit Meeting/Comments On Scoping Meeting/Comments On DraftLicense Renewal Application**Submitted to NRCNRC Decision on ApplicationHearings*Local Public Information Meeting 10SafetySafetyReviewReviewEnvironmentalEnvironmentalReviewReview Onsite Onsite Inspection(s)

Inspection(s)

Inspection Inspection Report(s)Report(s)Issued**Issued**Safety Evaluation Safety Evaluation ReviewReviewSafetySafetyEvaluationEvaluationReport Issued**Report Issued**

ACRS ACRS Letter Issued**

Letter Issued**

Draft DraftSupplement Supplement To GEISTo GEIS Issued**Issued**FinalFinalSupplement Supplement To GEIS Issued**To GEIS Issued**NRC DecisionNRC DecisionOn Application**On Application**RegionalRegional Administrator Administrator Letter Issued Letter Issued License Renewal Process License Renewal Process* If a Request for Hearing is Granted Opportunities for Public Interaction** Available at www.nrc.gov Site SiteEnvironmentalEnvironmental Audit AuditLicense RenewalApplication** submitted to NRC Local Public Information Meeting Meeting/Comments On Scoping Meeting/Comments On DraftHearings*Public Meeting(s)-Tech. Issues -Audit ExitAdvisory Committee onReactor Safety (ACRS)Review PublicExit Meeting(s) 11 National Environmental National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Policy Act (NEPA)NEPA requires Federal agencies to use a systematic approach to consider environmental impactsAn Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required for

major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of

the human environment.Commission has determined that a supplement to the "Generic EIS for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants" will be prepared for a license renewal application.

12 Analysis Approach Analysis Approach Potential Potential New Issue New Issue Generic Environmenta l Impact Statement Generic Environmenta l Impact Statement (GEIS)(GEIS)Category 1 Issues

Category 2 Issues Category 1 Issues

Category 2 Issues New and New and Significant Significant Info?Info?GEIS: Impacts Same GEIS: Impacts Same At All Sites At All Sites GEIS: Analyze GEIS: Analyze Impacts At All SitesImpacts At All Sites Perform Site Perform Site

--Specific Analysis Specific Analysis Adopt the Adopt theGEIS ConclusionGEIS Conclusion Validated Validated New Issue?

New Issue?

No Further No Further Analysis Analysis NO NO NO NO YES YES YES YES 13 Decision Standard for Decision Standard for Environmental Review Environmental Review To determine whether or not the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal

for Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Units 1

and 2 are so great that preserving the option

of license renewal for energy planning

decisionmakers would be unreasonable.

14 Application Received Notice of Intent Scoping Public Meeting Scoping Period Ended Scoping Summary Report Draft SEIS

Draft SEIS Public Meeting Draft SEIS Comments DueFinal SEIS September 22, 2004 September 29, 2005 November 17, 2005 December 22, 2005 Environmental Review Environmental Review Milestones Milestones May 27, 2004 August 9, 2004 November 8, 2004 January 5, 2005 June 2006 15 Team Expertise Team ExpertiseNuclear Nuclear Safety Safety Regulatory Regulatory Compliance ComplianceRadiationRadiation Protection ProtectionTerrestrialTerrestrialEcologyEcology Atmospheric Science Atmospheric ScienceSocioeconomics/Socioeconomics/Environmental JusticeEnvironmental Justice Land Use Land UseArchaeology/Historical ResourcesArchaeology/Historical ResourcesHydrologyHydrologyAquaticAquaticEcologyEcology 16 How Impacts are How Impacts are Quantified QuantifiedNRC-defined impact levels:SMALL: Effect is not detectable or too small to destabilize or noticeably alter any important attribute of the resourceMODERATE: Effect is sufficient to alter noticeably, but not destabilize important attributes of the resourceLARGE: Effect is clearly noticeable and sufficient to destabilize important attributes of the resourceConsistent with the Council on Environmental Quality guidance for NEPA analyses 17 Information Gathering Information Gathering SEIS SEIS License Renewal License Renewal Application Application Staff's Staff's Site Audit Site Audit Public Public Comments Comments State & Local State & Local Agencies Agencies Social Social Services Services Permitting Permitting Authorities Authorities 18 Environmental Impacts Environmental Impacts of Continued Operation of Continued OperationCooling SystemTransmission LinesRadiological SocioeconomicGroundwater Use and QualityThreatened or Endangered SpeciesAccidents 19 Cooling System Cooling System Impacts ImpactsCategory 2 issuesWater Use ConflictsEntrainmentImpingementHeat ShockMicrobiological OrganismsPreliminary findingsImpacts are SMALLNo additional mitigation required 20 Radiological Impacts Radiological ImpactsCategory 1 issuesRadiation exposures to the publicOccupational radiation exposuresPreliminary findingsNo new and significant information identifiedGEIS concluded impacts are SMALL 21 Threatened or Endangered SpeciesThree terrestrial Federally listed species potentially in vicinity.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined there is no need for a biological assessment.IMPACTS ARE SMALL Bald eagle Piping Plover Indiana BatImages: http://images.fws.gov, http://www.nwf.org/wild life/indianabat/.

22 Cumulative Impacts Cumulative Impacts of Operation of OperationConsidered impacts of renewal term operations combined with other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actionsevaluated to end of 20-year renewal termgeographic boundaries dependent on

resourceNo significant cumulative impacts 23 Other Environmental Other Environmental Impacts Evaluated Impacts EvaluatedUranium Fuel Cycle and Solid Waste ManagementDecommissioning 24 Alternatives AlternativesNo-actionAlternative energy sourcesNew generation (Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear)Purchased electrical powerOther alternatives (Oil, Wind, Solar, Conservation)Combination of alternativesEnvironmental effects of alternatives in at least some impact categories reach MODERATE or LARGE significance 25 Preliminary Preliminary Conclusions ConclusionsGEIS Conclusions on Category 1 issues adopted.Impacts resulting from Category 2 issues are of SMALL significance.No new impacts identified.Environmental effects of alternatives may reach MODERATE or LARGE significance.

26 Postulated Accidents Postulated AccidentsDesign-basis accidentsSevere accidentsSevere accident mitigation alternatives (SAMAs) 27 SAMA Evaluation SAMA Evaluation Process ProcessCharacterize overall plant riskIdentify potential improvementsQuantify risk reduction potential and implementation costsDetermine whether implementation of any

of the improvements is required to

support license renewal 28 Preliminary Results of Preliminary Results of SAMA Evaluation SAMA Evaluation220 candidate improvements considered for each unit.Set of SAMAs reduced based on multi-step

screening process (to 13 for Unit 1 and 20 for Unit 2)Detailed cost/benefit analysis shows that several

SAMAs would be potentially cost-beneficial at each unit (4 for Unit 1 and 11 for Unit 2).

29 Preliminary Results of Preliminary Results of SAMA Evaluation SAMA EvaluationNone of the potentially cost-beneficial SAMAs relate to managing the effects of aging.

Accordingly, none of the SAMAs are required to be

implemented as part of license renewalNotwithstanding this, the licensee has committed to

further evaluate the potentially cost-beneficial

SAMAs for possible implementationCompletion of the evaluations is being tracked in the licensee's plant change process 30 Preliminary Preliminary Conclusions ConclusionsImpacts of license renewal are SMALL for all impact areas.Impacts of alternatives may reach MODERATE to LARGE.The staff's preliminary recommendation is that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 are not so great that preserving

the option of license renewal for energy planning decisionmakers would be unreasonable.

31 Environmental Review Environmental Review Milestones MilestonesDraft SEIS issued -September 29, 2005Comment period ends -December 22, 2005Issuance of Final SEIS -June 2006 32 Additional Information Additional InformationNRC contact: Leslie Fields (800) 368-5642, Ext. 1186Documents located at Penfield Li brary State University of New York Oswego, NY 13126.Draft SEIS can also be viewed at the NRC's Web site (www.nrc.gov) at: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement24/

33 Submitting Submitting Comments CommentsBy mail:Chief, Rules and Directives Branch Division of Administrative Services Mailstop T-6D59 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington DC 20555In person:11545 Rockville Pike Rockville, MarylandBy e-mail:NineMilePointEIS@nrc.gov 34