ML20214H717

Environ Assessment & Finding No Significant Impact Re Licensee Exemption from Requirements of 10CFR50.49, Environ Qualification of Electric Equipment Important to Safety for Nuclear Power Plants

ML20214H717
Person / Time
Site:	Millstone
Issue date:	05/19/1987
From:	Thomas C Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
Shared Package
ML20214H401	List: ML20214H399 ML20214H717 ML20214J285
References
NUDOCS 8705270480
Download: ML20214H717 (4)

Text

7590-01 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NORTHEAST NUCLEAR ENERGY COMPANY MILLSTONE NUCLEAR POWER STATION UNIT NO. 1 4'1' DOCKET N0. 50-245 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF N0 SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is considering issuance of an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.49 to Northeast Nuclear Energy Company (the licensee) for the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit No. 1 (Millstone 1), located in Waterford, Connecticut.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

-Identification of Proposed Action:

The licensee would be exempted from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.49,

" Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants," in that seven of nine requested valve motor operators would not be qualified for the harsh environment of the design basis accident (DBA). One motor operator would be qualified for a DBA environment and one

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is cutside the scope of equipment required to be environmentally qualified, y,lx The Need for the Proposed Action:

The proposed exemption is needed for continued operation of Millstone 1 beyond the June-July 1987 refueling outage with seven of nine valve motor operators that do not satisfy the requirements of 10 CFR 50.49, " Environmental qualifiation of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants."

B705270480 870519 PDR ADOCK 05000245 P PDR,

7590-01 One of the nine valve motor operators must be replaced with an environmentally qualified motor operator during the June-July 1987 refueling outage and one motor operator is outside the scope of equipment required to be environmentally qualified. According to the licensee, the installed motor operators, though not fully qualified for a harsh accident environment, satisfy the underlying

. purpose of the rule and literal compliance would not significantly enhance plant safety, enhance the health and safety of the public, or significantly reduce core melt frequency.

Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action:

The proposed exemption, except for one of the nine motor operators, would not impact the ability to effect safe shutdown of the plant in the event of a DBA and would provide an acceptable level of safety, equivalent to that attained by compliance with 10 CFR 50.49. The request for exemption of the motor operator in the isolation condenser supply line piping, valve IC-2, will be denied; the motor operator in the emergency condensate transfer pump discharge piping, valve MV-96A, is outside the scope of equipment required to be environmentally l qualified. On this basis, the Commission concludes there are no significant i

l radiological environmental impacts associated with this proposed exemption.

l With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed exemption i

j involves features located entirely within the restricted areas as defined in i

10 CFR Part 20. It does not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, the Commission concludes that there i

are no significant non-radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed exemption.

l l

l r

7590-01 Alternatives to the Proposed Action:

Since we have concluded that the environmental effects of the proposed action are negligible, any alternatives with equal or greater environmental impacts need not be evaluated.

The principal alternative would be to deny all of the requested exemptions.

Except for one motor operator this would not reduce the environmental impacts associated with installing environmentally qualified motor operators and compliance with the rule would not significantly enhance plant safety. Denial of the exemption request for the IC-2 valve motor operator exemption from the rule, the staff has concluded, enhances safety, i.e., the motor operator must be qualified for operation in the accident environment.

Alternative Use of Resources:

This action involves no use of resources not previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement (construction permit and operating license) for Millstone 1.

Agencies and Persons Consulted:

The NRC staff reviewed the licensee's request and consulted with its contractors at Science Applications International Corporation.

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT:

The Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed exemption.

Based upon the foregoing environmental assessment, we conclude that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment.

For further details with respect to this action, see the exemption requests dated January 17, 1986 and March 12, 1987, which are available for

7590-01 public inspection at the Comission's Public Document Room,1717 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., and the Waterford Public Library, 49 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford, Connecticut 06385.

Dated at Bethesda, Maryland this 19th day of May 1987.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 0 A 0, . AWAY Cecil 0. Thomas, Director-Integrated Safety Assessment Project Directorate Division of Reactor Projects - III, IV, Y and Special Projects 7