ML062230129

Powerpoint Presentation Associated with Oyster Creek Draft EIS Public Meetings

ML062230129
Person / Time
Site:	Oyster Creek
Issue date:	07/12/2006
From:	NRC/NRR/ADRO
To:
Ellis, Twana, NRR/DLR/RLRA 301-415-3134
References
%dam200612, TAC MC7625
Download: ML062230129 (31)

Text

Preliminary Results of Environmental Review Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission July 12, 2006

Purpose of Todays Meeting

• Discuss NRCs license renewal process

• Describe the environmental review

• Discuss the results of our review

• Provide the review schedule

• Accept any comments you may have today

• Describe how to submit comments 2

NRCs Regulatory Oversight

• Atomic Energy Act

- Issue operating licenses

- Regulate civilian use of nuclear materials

• NRCs Mission

- Public health and safety

- Promote common defense and security

- Protect the environment 3

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station License Renewal

• Operating license expires April 9, 2009

• Application requests authorization to operate Oyster Creek for an additional 20 years.

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License Renewal Process Safety Onsite Review Inspections Application Independent Review Review License Renewal Application**

submitted to NRC NRC Decision Hearings*

On Application**

Environmental Review

• If a Request for Hearing is Granted 5

• • Available at www.nrc.gov

Scope of License Renewal Safety Review

• Limited to aging management

- Systems, structures and components important to safety

- Determined by license renewal scoping criteria

• Current issues that are out of scope

- Security

- Emergency Planning

- Safety Performance 6

Safety Review Process

• Safety evaluation

- Audits

- Evaluation of technical information

• Plant inspections

• Independent review

- Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) 7

Environmental Review Process License Renewal Application submitted to NRC Local Hearings Public Information Meeting Issue Final Supplement Site Environmental To GEIS Environmental Review Audit Meeting/ Issue Draft Meeting/ NRC Decision Comments Supplement Comments on On Scoping To GEIS On Draft Application 8

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

• NEPA requires Federal agencies to use a systematic approach to consider environmental impacts.

• An 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.

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Decision Standard for Environmental Review To determine whether or not the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station are so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decisionmakers would be unreasonable.

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Environmental Review Milestones Application Received July 22, 2005 Notice of Intent September 16, 2005 Scoping Public Meetings November 1, 2005 Scoping Period Ended November 25, 2005 Draft SEIS Issued June 9, 2006 Draft SEIS Public Meetings July 12, 2006 Draft SEIS Comments Due September 8, 2006 Final SEIS Issued January 2007 11

Team Expertise Atmospheric Science Radiation Regulatory Protection Compliance Socioeconomics/ Terrestrial Environmental Justice Ecology Nuclear Safety Aquatic Land Use Ecology Archaeology/Historical Resources Hydrology 12

Analytical Approach Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS)

Category 1 Issues Category 2 Issues GEIS: Impacts Same GEIS: Analyze Potential At All Sites Impacts At All Sites New Issue New and YES YES Perform Site- Validated Significant Specific Analysis New Issue?

Info?

NO NO Adopt the No Further GEIS Conclusion Analysis 13

How Impacts are Quantified

• NRC-defined impact levels:

- SMALL: Effect is not detectable or too small to destabilize or noticeably alter any important attribute of the resource

- MODERATE: Effect is sufficient to alter noticeably, but not destabilize, important attributes of the resource

- LARGE: Effect is clearly noticeable and sufficient to destabilize important attributes of the resource

• Consistent with the Council on Environmental Quality guidance for NEPA analyses 14

Information Gathering License Renewal Application Staffs Public Site Audit Comments SEIS State & Local Social Agencies Services Permitting Authorities 15

Environmental Impacts of Continued Operation

• Cooling system

• Transmission line

• Radiological

• Socioeconomics

• Groundwater use and quality

• Threatened or endangered species

• Cumulative impacts

• Accidents 16

Cooling System Impacts

• Category 2 issues

- Entrainment of fish and shellfish in early life stages

- Impingement of fish and shellfish

- Heat shock

• Preliminary findings

- Impacts would be SMALL 17

Radiological Impacts

• Category 1 issues

- Radiation exposures to the public

- Occupational radiation exposures

• Preliminary findings

- No new and significant information identified

- GEIS concluded impacts would be SMALL 18

Threatened or Endangered Species

• Threatened or endangered species in the vicinity include five species of sea turtles and the bald eagle

• 2005 Biological Opinion for sea turtle establishes incidental take limits

• No impacts expected to bald eagle

• Impacts would be SMALL 19

Cumulative Impacts of Operation

• Impacts of renewal term operations combined with other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions

- Evaluated to end of 20-year renewal term

- Geographic boundaries dependent on resource

• Cumulative impacts would be SMALL 20

Other Environmental Impacts Evaluated

• Uranium fuel cycle and solid waste management

• Decommissioning 21

Alternatives to License Renewal

• No-action

• Alternative energy sources

- New generation (coal, natural gas, nuclear)

- Purchased electrical power

- Other alternatives (oil, wind, solar, conservation)

- Combination of alternatives

• Environmental effects of alternatives, in at least some impact categories, reach MODERATE or LARGE significance 22

Cooling System Alternatives

• Closed-cycle cooling using hybrid mechanical draft cooling towers

• Modification of existing once-through system with wetland restoration

• Most impacts would be SMALL except closed-cycle system could have MODERATE impacts on air quality 23

Preliminary Conclusions

• GEIS conclusions on Category 1 issues adopted

• Impacts resulting from Category 2 issues would be of SMALL significance

• Environmental effects of alternatives may reach MODERATE or LARGE significance 24

Postulated Accidents

• Design-basis accidents

• Severe accidents

- Severe accident mitigation alternatives (SAMAs) 25

Preliminary Results of SAMA Evaluation

• 136 potential SAMAs considered

• Number of SAMAs reduced to 37 based on screening process

• Detailed cost-benefit analysis shows that 15 SAMAs could be cost beneficial

• None are required to be implemented as part of license renewal 26

Preliminary Conclusions

• Impacts of license renewal would be SMALL for all impact areas.

• Impacts of alternatives may reach MODERATE to LARGE.

• The staffs preliminary recommendation is that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station are not so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decisionmakers would be unreasonable.

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Environmental Review Milestones

• Draft SEIS issued - June 9, 2006

• Comment period ends - September 8, 2006

• Issuance of Final SEIS - January 2007 28

Additional Information

• NRC contact: Dr. Michael T. Masnik (800) 368-5642, Ext. 1191

• Documents located at the Lacey Township Library (10 East Lacey Road, Forked River, New Jersey 08731)

• Draft SEIS can also be viewed at: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement28/

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Submitting Comments

• By mail: Chief, Rules and Directives Branch Division of Administrative Services Mailstop T-6D59 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington DC 20555

• In person: 11545 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland

• By e-mail: OysterCreekEIS@nrc.gov 30

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