ML20057G299

Environ Assessment & Finding of No Significant Impact Re Licensee 930823 Request for Exemption from Requirements of Section III.D.1.(a) of App J to 10CFR50 for Facility

ML20057G299
Person / Time
Site:	Zion File:ZionSolutions icon.png
Issue date:	10/14/1993
From:	Dyer J Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
Shared Package
ML20057G275	List: ML20057G274 ML20057G299
References
NUDOCS 9310210246
Download: ML20057G299 (4)

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7590-01 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION COMMONWEALTH EDISON COMPAM f

ZION NUCLEAR POWER STATION. UNIT 2 l

DOCKET NO. 50-304 i

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT l

8 The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is considering issuance of an exemption from the requirements of Section III.D.I.(a) of 1

Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50 to Commonwealth Edison Company (the licensee),

l for the Zion Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2, located in Lake County, Illinois.

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j ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT i

Identification of Proposed Action The proposed action would grant an exemption from Section III.D.I.(a) of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50, which requires a set of three Type A tests (Containment Integrated leakage Rate Test or CILRT) to be performed, at i

l approximately equal intervals during each 10-year service period and specifies

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that the third test of each set shall be conducted when the plant is shut down l

2 for the 10-year plant inservice inspections (ISI). The licensee's request is j

for a one-time exemption that will allow the third Type A test of the current l

10-year service period to be performed during a refueling outage in September j

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1996, approximately 46 months after the last one, independent of the current l

l 10-year service period and the 10-year plant ISI. Without the exemption, the i

licensee would be required to perform its third Type A test during a refueling outage that starts in January 1995, when the plant is shut down for the t

9310210246 931014 PDR ADDCK 05000304 p

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,A 10-year plant inservice inspections (ISI), which means the last two Type A tests of the second 10-year service period would be performed 26 months apart.

The exemption is in response to the licensee's application for exemption I

dated August 23, 1993.

The Need for the Proposed Action i

The proposed exemption is needed because the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J, and the licensee's current refueling outage schedule would require the third CILRT for the second 10-year service period to be performed when Unit 2 is shut down for the refueling outage that starts in January 1995, which is also the 10-year plant ISI. The first Type A test of the second 10-l year service period was performed in October 1988.

The second Type A test was i

not conducted until November 1992, 49 months later, due to the extended lengths of the Cycle 11 refueling outage and the Cycle 12 operating cycle.

The Unit 2 shutdown for the 10-year plant ISI is the Cycle 13 refueling i

i outage, scheduled to start in January 1995. Without this exemption, the l

licensee would be required to perform the third CILRT during the January 1995 refueling outage, 26 months after the second Type A test.

l Environmental Iroacts of the Proposed Action The Commission's staff has determined that granting the proposed exemption would not significantly increase the probability or amount of expected primary containment leakage and that containment integrity would,

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thus, be maintained. Although the requirements in Section III.D.I.(a) that three Type A tests be performed in each 10-year service period and that the third test be conducted when the unit is shut down for the 10-year plant ISI would not be met, performing the third Type A test of the second 10-year i

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t service period approximately 46 months after the second one would meet the intent to ensure containment integrity by performing the stests at approximately equal intervals of about a third of a 10-year service period.

Consequently, the probability of accidents would not be increased, nor would the post-accident radiological releases be greater than previously determined.

Neither would the proposed exemption otherwise affect radiological plant effluents.

Therefore, the Commission's staff concludes that there are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed axemption.

With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed exemption involves a change to surveillance and testing requirements.

It does not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact.

Therefore, the Commission's staff concludes that there are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed exemption.

Alternative to the Proposed Action Since the Commission concluded that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, any alternatives would have either no or greater environmental impact.

The principal alternative would be to deny the requested exemption. This would not reduce the environmental impacts attributed to the facility and would not meet the intent of the rule to perform CILRT at approximately equal intervals during each 10-year service period.

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l Alternative Use of Resources 4

This action does not involve the use of any resources not previously considered in connection with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Final

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j Environmental Statement, dated December 1972, related to the operation of the Zion Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2.

i Aaencies and Persons Consulted The staff consulted with the State of Illinois regarding the environ-l mental impact of the proposed action.

l FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT 3

The Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental impact j

statement for the proposed exemption.

Based upon the foregoing environmental 1

i assessment, we conclude that the proposed action will not have a significant i

effact on the quality of the human environment.

For further details with respect to this action, see the request for

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exemption dated August 23, 1993, which is available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, N. W., Washington D. C.

and at the Waukegan Public Library,128 North County Street, Waukegan, Illinois 60085.

l' Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of October 1993.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION.

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- a kW $.

bV James E. Dyer, Project Director Project Directorate III-2 l

Division of Reactor Projects III/IV/V Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 1

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