ML20236C959

Environ Assessment & Finding of No Significant Impact Supporting Proposed Exemption from Requirement in 10CFR50, App J to Conduct Type C Tests on Five Reactor Coolant Pressure & Primary Containment Isolation Valves

ML20236C959
Person / Time
Site:	River Bend
Issue date:	07/21/1987
From:	Calvo J Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
Shared Package
ML20236C944	List: ML20236C942 ML20236C959
References
TAC-65129, NUDOCS 8707300253
Download: ML20236C959 (4)

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7590-01 I

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION GULF STATES UTILITIES RIVER BEND STATION, UNIT 1 DOCKET NO. 50-458 ]

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT 'i l

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is considering issuance of a proposed exemption to 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J, Paragraph III.D.3 for Facility Operating License No. NPF-47 issued to the Gulf States i Utilities (the licensee) for operation of the River Bend Station, Unit 1, -i located in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. j ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Identification of Proposed Action: This proposed exemption would suspend the i

requirement to conduct Type C leakage testing at intervals no greater than  ;

24 months, as stated in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J, Paragraph III.D.3, for 5 containment isolation valves until the first refueling outage which is scheduled to begin on September 15, 1987.

e The proposed exemption is responsive to the licensee's application for exemption dated March 10, 1987 as supplemented by letters dated June 9, 1987 and July 8,1987.

The Need for the Proposed Action: The proposed exemption from the regulation is required in order to allow continued operation of the plant until the first B707300253 870721 DR ADOCK 05000458' PDR

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refueling outage, when the plant will.be shutdown for extensive maintenance and surveillance testing activities. Without this exemption, a forced shutdown, beginning on August 16, 1987 would be required in order to perform i

the necessary surveillance tests. 1 Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: There are no environmental impacts of the proposed action. During the period of the extension, the. plant j will continJe with norr.a1 operations. The plant will be shutdown, and the containme'nt isolation valve Type C leakage tests will be performed while the plant is shutdown for the first refueling outage. The surveillance tests will  !

be performed at that time, in every other respect, the same as if they had. l been performed during an outage prior to August 16, 1987. The staff has reviewed the information provided by the licensee and finds that postponing .

these leakrate tests until the first refueling outage would have little effect on containment integrity. No changes are being made in the allowable amounts and no significant changes are being made in the types of any effluents that

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3 may be released offsite, and there is no significant increase in the allowable individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. Therefore, the Commission concludes that there are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with this proposed exemption.

Alternative to the Proposed Actions: Since we have concluded that there is no 1

measurable environmental impact associated with the granting of the proposed j exemption, any alterna'tive to this exemption will have the same or greater environmental impact.

The principal alternative would be to deny the exemption which would require'a shutdown beginning no later than August 16, 1987.

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Alternative Use of Resources _: This action does not involve the use of

-l resources not previously considered in connection with the " Final l I

Environmental Statement" related to the operation of the River Bend Station, Unit 1, dated January 1985.

Agencies and, Persons Consulted: ~ The NRC staff. performed .the entire review of the licensee's position and did no't consult other agencies or persons.

Findings of No Significant Impact: The Commission has determined not to prepare an' environmental impact statement for the proposed exemption. ,

Based on the. foregoing environmental assessment, we conclude that the  !

proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human i e nvironment.

For further details with respect to this action, see the request for exemption dated March 10, 1987, as supplemented by letters dated June 9,1987 and July 8, 1987, which is available for public inspection at the Commission's f Public Document Room, 1717 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20555 and at the i Government Documents Department, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803.

i Dated at Bethesda, Maryland, this 21st day of July,1987. l FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION A C. W l Jose A. Calvo, Director 4 Project Directorate - IV Division of Rector Projects - III,  !

IV, V and Special Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i

July 21,1987 l

s Dock'et No. 50-458 Mr. James C. Deddens Senior Vice President, (RBNG)

Gulf States Utilities P. O. Box 220 St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775 ATTN: Nuclear Licensing

SUBJECT:

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT - RIVER BEND STATION, UNIT 1 In response to your letter dated March 10, 1987, as supplemented June 9, 1987 l and July 8, 1987, the Comm1ssion is considering issuance of an exemption for River Bend Station, Unit 1, regarding a requirement in Paragraph III.D.3 of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50. The proposed exemption would relieve Gulf States

. Utilities from the requirement to conduct Type C leak tests on 5 reactor coolant pressure and primary containment isolation valves at intervals no greater than 24 months, on a one-time-basis, until the first refueling outage.

This refueling outage is scheduled to begin on September 15, 1987.

We have enclosed a copy of the Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for this proposed exemption which is being forwarded to the

' Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Sincerely, 5

Jose A. Calvo, Director Project Directorate - IV Division of Reactor Projects - III, IV, V and Special Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

Environmental Assessment and )'

Finding of No Significant Impact I

cc w/ enclosure:

See next page l

DISTRIBUTION Docket File NRC PDR Local PDR i PD4 Reading File D. Crutchfield F. Schroeder '

J. Calvo P. Noonan W. Paulson 0GC-Bethesda E. Jordan J. Partlow ACRS (10) GPA/PA PD4 Plant File PD4/LA@k PyfPd PD4/D/MC OGC-Bethesda PNoonan WPaul son: sr JCalvo WA 7/%/87 7/q l A/87 7/g/87 7/1o/87 mP# s i //

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