ML20148K366

Environ Assessment & Finding of No Significant Impact Re Issuance of License Amend to possession-only License NPF-1. Proposed Action Would Allow Processing of Fuel & Debris in Plant Bldg as Described in from Licensee

ML20148K366
Person / Time
Site:	Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png
Issue date:	06/02/1997
From:	Mendonca M NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:
Shared Package
ML20148K346	List: ML20148K342 ML20148K349 ML20148K354 ML20148K366 ML20148K392
References
NUDOCS 9706180007
Download: ML20148K366 (4)

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6.0 CONCLUSION

The Commission has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above,

! that (1) there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the regulations of the Commission, and (3) the issuance of the amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.

Principal Contributors: Lee H. Thonus, Lawrence Kopp, Thomas Fredrichs, and Roger Pederson Date: June 9, 1997 l

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7590-01 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY. ET. AL.

TROJAN NUCLEAR PLANT DOCKET NO. 50-344 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT {

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of a 'E license amendment to Possession-Only License No. NPF-1, issued to Portland General Electric Company (PGE or the licensee), for the Trojan Nuclear Plant, a permanently shut down plant, located in Columbia County, Oregon, on the west bank of the Columbia River.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Identification of the Proposed Action:

The proposed action would allow processing of fuel and debris in the Trojan Fuel Building as described in the licensee's October 23, 1996, letter containing the license change request and safety analysis. The processing will volatilize and eliminate organic material (polypropylene filter media) which is currently commingled with fuel pellets, pellet fragments, and small metal particles. The consolidated fuel can then be stored in canisters without the potential for radiolytic decomposition of organic material and resultant generation of combustible gases. The licensee has proposed to process the fuel pellets and debris in order to make them suitable for future storage in an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).

The Need for the Proposed Action:

The licensee intends to dismantle and decommission the Trojan facility in accordance with the NRC approved Trojan Decommissioning Plan and subsequently terminate the Part 50 license. In order to accomplish this goal the licensee

must first place all of the spent fuel and Greater Than Class C (GTCC) radioactive waste in an ISFSI. Some fuel pellets, partial fuel, organic  ;

filter media, and metal fines have been commingled as a result of vacuuming of the reactor vessel. The organic material must be eliminated from the mixture [

to make it suitable for storage in the ISFSI. The Trojan Nuclear Plant i license must be amended to authorize this activity.

Environmental Imoacts of the Proposed Action:

f The proposed action does not involve any measurable environmental impacts, since the facility configuration or plant operations will not change. No changes will be made in the type nr quantities of effluents that are

- authorized to be released offs , and there wculd be no significant increase in the allowable individual or cumulative radiation exposure. The licensee's I analysis indicates that any potential accidents would have consequences within the scope of those previously analyzed in the Shutdown Final Safety Analysis i Report. The NRC staff, based on independent evaluation, agrees with the licensee analyses and concludes that the proposed activity is acceptable.

Accordingly, the Commission concludes that this proposed action would result in no significant radiological environmental impact.

With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed action  ;

does not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, the Commission concludes that there are no significant non-radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

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Alternative to the Proposed Action:

I Since the Commission concluded that there are no significant environmental effects that would result from the proposed action, any alternative with equal or greater environmental impacts need not be evaluated.

The principal alternative would be to deny the action. This would not ,

l reduce environmental impacts of plant decommissioning and would not enhance i the protection of the environment nor public health and safety. 1 Alternative Use of Resources: ]

This action does not involve the use of any resources not previously 1 considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the Trojan Nuclear Plant,  ;

dated August 1973.

Agencies and Persons Consulted: I The NRC staff consulted with representatives of the State of Oregon Department of Energy regarding the environmental Impact of the proposed action. The State representatives had no comment.

FINDING 0F N0 SIGNIFICANT IMPACT:  ;

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

Based upon the foregoing environmental assessment, the Commission concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the I

quality of the human environment. l For further details with respect to this action, see the license change l application dated October 23, 1996, and supplemental information in letters dated December 12, 1996, March 31, 1997, and April 9, 1997; which are available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, 1

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