[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 1994)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 786-787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-253]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: January 6, 1994]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-331]
Iowa Electric Light and Power Co.; Issuance of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is
considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No.
DPR-49, issued to Iowa Electric Light and Power Company (the licensee),
for operation of the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), located in Linn
County, Iowa.
Identification of Proposed Action
The amendment would consist of a change to the Operating License
that would increase the storage capacity of the spent fuel pool to 3152
fuel assemblies, including a rack which can be used for temporary
storage of 323 fuel assemblies.
The amendment to the TS is responsive to the licensee's application
dated March 26, 1993, and supplemented by additional correspondence
dated September 15 and November 23, 1993. The NRC staff has prepared an
Environmental Assessment of the proposed action.
Summary of Environmental Assessment
The ``Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) on
Handling and Storage of Spent Light Water Power Reactor Fuel'' (NUREG-
0575), Volumes 1-3 (1979), concluded that the environmental impact of
interim storage of spent fuel was negligible and the cost of the
various alternatives reflects the advantage of continued generation of
nuclear power with the accompanying spent fuel storage. Because of the
differences in design, the FGEIS recommended evaluating spent fuel pool
expansions on a case-by-case basis. For DAEC, the expansion of the
storage capacity of the spent fuel pool will not create any significant
additional radiological effects or nonradiological environmental
impacts beyond those assessed in the Commission's Final Environmental
Statement (FES) issued in March 1973 related to the operation of DAEC,
and in the Safety Evaluation Report issued July 7, 1978, in support of
a previous license amendment concerning storage capacity.
The occupational radiation dose for the proposed operation of the
expanded spent fuel pool is estimated to be less than 2 percent of the
total annual occupational radiation exposure for this facility.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The staff has reviewed the proposed spent fuel pool expansion to
the facility relative to the requirements set forth in 10 CFR part 51.
Based on this assessment, the staff concludes that there are no
significant radiological or nonradiological impacts associated with the
proposed action and that the issuance of the proposed amendment to the
license will have no significant impact on the quality of the human
environment. Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 51.31, no environmental
impact statement needs to be prepared for this action.
For further details with respect to this action see
(1) The application for amendment dated March 26, 1993, and
supplemental correspondence dated September 15 and November 23, 1993,
(2) The FGEIS on Handling and Storage of Spent Light Water Power
Reactor Fuel (NUREG-0575),
(3) The FES for DAEC dated March 1973 and
(4) The Environmental Assessment dated December 29, 1993.
These documents are available for public inspection at the
Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC
20555 and at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, 500 First Street, SE.,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 29th day of December 1993.
Robert M. Pulsifer,
Project Manager, Project Directorate III-3, Division of Reactor
Projects III/IV/V, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-253 Filed 1-5-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
