[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 53 (Friday, March 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13611-13612]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6769]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket 72-13]
Entergy Operations, Inc., Arkansas Nuclear One Power Plant;
Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant
Impact Regarding the Proposed Exemption From Certain Requirements of 10
CFR Part 72
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is
considering issuance of an exemption, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, from the
provisions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2) and 72.214 to Entergy Operations,
Inc. (Entergy). The requested exemption would allow Entergy to store
burnable poison rod assemblies (BPRAs) in Ventilated Storage Cask-24
(VSC-24) systems at the Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) Independent Spent
Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Identification of Proposed Action: By letter dated January 18,
1999, Entergy requested an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR
72.214 to store BPRAs in VSC-24s at the ANO ISFSI. ANO is a general
licensee, authorized by NRC to use spent fuel storage casks approved
under 10 CFR Part 72, Subpart K. Furthermore, ANO is using the VSC-24
design approved by NRC under COC No. 1007 to store spent fuel at the
ISFSI.
For the NRC to permit ANO to store BPRAs in the VSC-24s, the NRC,
on its own initiative, must also grant ANO an exemption from the
general license conditions of 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2). Section 72.212(a)(2)
states that the general license for storage of spent fuel at power
reactor sites is limited to storage of spent fuel in casks approved
under the provisions in 10 CFR Part 72. By exempting ANO from both 10
CFR 72.214 and 72.212(a)(2), ANO will be authorized to use its general
license to store spent fuel in casks approved under Part 72, as
exempted, to allow storage of BPRAs. The proposed action before the
Commission is whether to grant these exemptions under 10 CFR 72.7.
The ISFSI is located 6 miles west-northwest of Russellville,
Arkansas, on the ANO Power Plant site. The ANO ISFSI is an existing
facility constructed for interim dry storage of spent ANO nuclear fuel.
On December 30, 1998, the cask designer, Sierra Nuclear Corporation
(SNC) (also known as Pacific Sierra Nuclear Associates), submitted a
COC amendment request to NRC to address the storage of Babcock and
Wilcox (B&W) 15x15 fuel with BPRAs. The NRC
[[Page 13612]]
staff has reviewed the application and determined that storing B&W
15x15 fuel with BPRAs in the VSC-24 would have minimal impact on the
design basis and would not be inimical to public health and safety.
Need for the Proposed Action: ANO has lost full core offload
reserves in the Unit 1 spent fuel pool. ANO Unit 1 is scheduled for a
refueling outage in September 1999. Because the 10 CFR Part 72
rulemaking to amend the COC will not be completed prior to the date
that ANO needs to begin loading the VSC-24s with fuel containing BPRAs,
the staff requested Commission approval to grant this exemption based
on the staff's technical review of information submitted by ANO and
SNC.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: The potential
environmental impact of using the VSC-24 system was initially presented
in the EA for the Final Rule to add the VSC-24 to the list of approved
spent fuel storage casks in 10 CFR 72.214 (58 FR 17948 (1993)).
Furthermore, each general licensee must assess the environmental
impacts of the specific ISFSI in accordance with the requirements of 10
CFR 72.212(b)(2)(iii). This section requires the general licensee to
perform written evaluations to demonstrate compliance with the
environmental requirements of 10 CFR 72.104, ``Criteria for radioactive
materials in effluents and direct radiation from an ISFSI or MRS
[Monitored Retrievable Storage Installation].''
VSC-24s are designed to mitigate the effects of design basis
accidents that could occur during storage. Design basis accidents
account for human-induced events and the most severe natural phenomena
reported for the site and surrounding area. Postulated accidents
analyzed for an ISFSI include tornado winds and tornado generated
missiles, design basis earthquake, design basis flood, accidental cask
drop, lightning effects, fire, explosions, and other incidents.
Special cask design features include a double-closure welded steel
multi-assembly sealed basket (MSB) made from SA-516 Gr 70 pressure
vessel steel to contain the spent fuel. This MSB is up to 181-inches
long, 62.5 inches in diameter, with 1.0-inch thick walls. The MSB is
placed inside of a Ventilated Concrete Cask (VCC) and positioned for
storage on the concrete ISFSI pad. The VCC is up to 213-inches long,
132 inches in diameter, and 31.75-inches thick. The VCC wall consists
of a 1.75-inch thick steel inner liner surrounded by reinforced
concrete and steel ducts for a passive ventilation system.
Considering the specific design requirements for each accident
condition, the design of the cask would prevent loss of containment,
shielding, and criticality control. Without the loss of either
containment, shielding, or criticality control, the risk to public
health and safety is not compromised.
Storage of B&W 15x15 fuel containing BPRAs would increase the
maximum potential cask dose rates by no more than 13 percent at any
location on a loaded VSC-24 system. For a VSC-24 loaded with fuel
containing BPRAs, the highest dose would be found at the top center of
the cask. This dose was calculated to increase from 30 mrem/hr without
BPRAs to 32.2 mrem/hr with BPRAs. The occupational exposure is not
significantly increased and off-site dose rates remain well within the
10 CFR Part 20 limits. Therefore, the proposed action now under
consideration would not change the potential environmental effects
assessed in the initial rulemaking (58 FR 17948).
Therefore, the staff has determined that there is no reduction in
the safety margin nor significant environmental impacts as a result of
storing B&W 15x15 fuel with BPRAs in the VSC-24 system.
Alternative to the Proposed Action: The staff evaluated other
alternatives involving removal of the BPRAs from the fuel assemblies
and found that these alternatives produced a greater occupational
exposure and an increased environmental impact as a result of handling
the BPRAs separately as low-level waste. The alternative to the
proposed action would be to deny approval of the exemption and,
therefore, require ANO to disassemble and store the BPRAs as low-level
waste in separate containers.
Agencies and Persons Consulted: On February 17, 1999, Bernard
Bevill from the Division of Radiation Control and Emergency Management,
Arkansas Department of Health, was contacted about the EA for the
proposed action and had no concerns.
Finding of No Significant Impact
The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 51. Based
upon the foregoing EA, the Commission finds that the proposed action of
granting an exemption from 10 CFR 72.212(a)(2) and 72.214 so that ANO
may store B&W 15x15 fuel containing BPRAs in VSC-24s will not
significantly impact the quality of the human environment. Accordingly,
the Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement for the proposed exemption.
For further details with respect to this exemption request, see the
Entergy exemption request dated January 18, 1999, which is docketed
under 10 CFR Part 72, Docket No 72-13. The exemption request is
available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document
Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20555 and the Local Public
Document Room located at Tomlinson Library, Arkansas Tech University,
Russellville, AR, 72801.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day of March 1999.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
E. William Brach,
Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 99-6769 Filed 3-18-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
