[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 220 (Monday, November 16, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63755-63756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30561]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-458]
Entergy Operations, Incorporated, River Bend Station, Unit 1;
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is
considering issuance of an exemption from certain requirements of its
regulations to Facility Operating License No. NPF-47, issued to Entergy
Operations, Incorporated \1\ (the Licensee), the holder of Facility
Operating License No. NPF-47, which authorizes operation of the River
Bend Station, Unit 1 (RBS) (the facility) located approximately 2 miles
east of the Mississippi River in West Feliciana, Parish, Louisiana,
approximately 2.7 miles southeast of St. Francisville, Louisiana and
approximately 18 miles northwest of the city limits of Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.
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\1\ Entergy Operations, Incorporated is authorized to act as
agent for Entergy Gulf States, Inc. and has exclusive responsibility
and control over the physical construction, operation and
maintenance of the facility.
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Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's amended
application for exemption dated May 15, 1997, as supplemented August
12, 1998, which requests an exemption from the criticality accident
monitoring requirements of 10 CFR 70.24(a) specifically for areas
containing incore detectors (which are not in use) and unirradiated
fuel while it is handled, used, or stored. 10 CFR 70.24 requires in
each area in which special nuclear material is handled, used, or stored
a monitoring system that will energize clear audible alarms if
accidental criticality occurs. RBS does not currently maintain
instrumentation which provides criticality accident monitoring;
however, the licensee does maintain gamma-sensitive radiation detection
instrumentation which will energize clearly audible alarm signals if
accidental criticality occurs.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of 10 CFR 70.24 is to ensure that if a criticality were
to occur during the handling of special nuclear material, personnel
would be alerted to that fact and would take appropriate action. At a
commercial nuclear power plant, the inadvertent criticality with which
10 CFR 70.24 is concerned could
[[Page 63756]]
occur during fuel handling operations. The special nuclear material
that could be assembled into a critical mass at a commercial nuclear
power plant is in the form of nuclear fuel; the quantity of other forms
of special nuclear material that is stored onsite in any given location
is small enough to preclude achieving a critical mass. Because the fuel
is not enriched beyond 5.0 weight percent uranium-235, and because
commercial nuclear plant licensees have procedures and features that
are designed to prevent inadvertent criticality, the staff has
determined that it is unlikely that an inadvertent criticality could
occur due to the handling of special nuclear material at a commercial
power reactor. Therefore, the requirements of 10 CFR 70.24 are not
necessary to ensure the safety of personnel during the handling of
special nuclear materials at commercial power reactors.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action
and concludes that inadvertent or accidental criticality will be
precluded through compliance with the RBS TSs, the design of the fuel
storage racks providing geometric spacing of fuel assemblies in their
storage locations, and administrative controls imposed on fuel handling
procedures.
The proposed exemption would not result in an increase in the
probability or consequences of accidents, affect radiological plant
effluents, or result in a change in occupational or offsite dose.
Therefore, there are no radiological impacts associated with the
proposed exemption.
The proposed exemption would not result in a change in
nonradiological effluents and will have no other nonradiological
environmental impact.
Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Since the Commission has concluded that there is no significant
environmental impact associated with the proposed action, any
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be
evaluated. As an alternative to the proposed exemption, the staff
considered denial of the requested exemption. Denial of the request
would result in no change in current environmental impacts. The
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative action
are similar.
Alternative Use of Resources
This action does not involve the use of any resources not
previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement related to
the operation of RBS, NUREG-1073, dated January 1985.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on September 21, 1998, the
staff consulted with the Louisiana State Official, Dr. Stan Shaw, of
the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Radiation Protection
Division, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action.
The State official had no comments.
Finding of No Significant Impact
Based upon the environmental assessment, the Commission concludes
that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the
quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the Commission has
determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the
proposed action.
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated August 12, 1998, which is available for public
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room located at the
Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at the local
public document room located at the Government Documents Department,
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of November 1998.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John N. Hannon,
Director, Project Directorate IV-1, Division of Reactor Projects III/
IV, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 98-30561 Filed 11-13-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
