[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 55 (Monday, March 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13883-13884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7425]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-317 and 50-318]
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company; Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power
Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; 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 Nos.
DPR-53 and DPR-69, issued to Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE or
the licensee), for operation of the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant,
Unit Nos. 1 and 2 located in Calvert County, Maryland.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
This Environmental Assessment has been prepared to address
potential environmental issues related to the licensee's application
dated December 4, 1996, as supplemented by letters dated March 27, June
9, June 18, July 21, August 14, August 19, September 10, October 6,
October 20, October 23, November 5, 1997, and January 12 and January
28, 1998. The proposed amendment will replace the Current Technical
Specifications (CTS) in their entirety with Improved Technical
Specifications (ITS) based on Revision 1 to NUREG-1432, ``Standard
Technical Specifications for Combustion Engineering Plants'' dated
October 9, 1996, and the CTS for Calvert Cliffs.
The Need for the Proposed Action
It has been recognized that nuclear safety in all plants would
benefit from improvement and standardization of technical
specifications (TSs). The Commission's ``NRC Interim Policy Statement
on Technical Specification Improvements for Nuclear Power Reactors,''
52 FR 3788 (February 6, 1987), and later the Commission's ``Final
Policy Statement on Technical Specification Improvements for Nuclear
Power Reactors,'' 58 FR 39132 (July 22, 1993), recognized this benefit.
This formed the basis for a recent revision to 10 CFR 50.36 (60 FR
36953), which codified the criteria for determining the content of TSs.
To facilitate the development of individual improved TS, each reactor
vendor owners group (OG) and the NRC staff developed standard TS (STS).
The NRC Committee to Review Generic Requirements (CRGR) reviewed the
STS and made note of the safety merits of the STS and indicated its
support of conversion to the STS by operating plants. For plants
designed by Combustion Engineering, Inc., the STS are published as
NUREG-1432, and this document was the basis for the new Calvert Cliffs
ITS.
Description of the Proposed Change
The proposed revision to the TS is based on NUREG-1432 and on
guidance provided in the Final Policy Statement. Its objective is to
completely rewrite, reformat, and streamline the existing TS. Emphasis
is placed on human factors principles to improve clarity and
understanding. The Bases section has been significantly expanded to
clarify and better explain the purpose and foundation of each
specification. In addition to NUREG-1432, portions of the existing TS
were also used as the basis for the ITS. Plant-specific issues (unique
design features, requirements, and operating practices) were discussed
at length with the licensee, and generic matters were discussed with
the OG.
The proposed changes from the existing TS can be grouped into four
general categories, as follows:
1. Non-technical (administrative) changes, which were intended to
make the ITS easier to use for plant operations personnel. They are
purely editorial in nature or involve the movement or reformatting of
requirements without affecting technical content. Every section of the
Calvert Cliffs TS has undergone these types of changes. In order to
ensure consistency, the NRC staff and the licensee have used NUREG-1432
as guidance to reformat and make other administrative changes.
2. Relocation of requirements, which includes items that were in
the existing Calvert Cliffs TS. The TS that are being relocated to
licensee-controlled documents are not required to be in the TS under 10
CFR 50.36 and do not meet any of the four criteria in the Commission's
Final Policy Statement for inclusion in the TS. They are not needed to
obviate the possibility that an abnormal situation or event will give
rise to an immediate threat to the public health and safety. The NRC
staff has concluded that appropriate controls have been established for
all of the current specifications, information, and requirements that
are being moved to licensee-controlled documents. In general, the
proposed relocation of items in the current Calvert Cliffs TS to the
Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), appropriate plant-specific
programs, procedures and ITS Bases follows the guidance of the
Combustion STS (NUREG-1432). Once the items have been relocated by
removing them from the CTS to licensee-controlled documents, the
licensee may revise them under the provisions of 10 CFR 50.59 or other
NRC staff-approved control mechanisms, which provide appropriate
procedural means to control changes.
3. More restrictive requirements, which consist of proposed Calvert
Cliffs ITS items that are either more conservative than corresponding
requirements in the existing Calvert Cliffs TS, or are additional
restrictions that are not in the existing Calvert Cliffs TS but are
contained in NUREG-1432. Examples of more restrictive requirements
include: placing a Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) on plant
equipment that is not required by the present TS to be operable; more
restrictive requirements to restore inoperable equipment; and more
restrictive surveillance requirements.
[[Page 13884]]
4. Less restrictive requirements, which are relaxations of
corresponding requirements in the existing Calvert Cliffs TS that
provide little or no safety benefit and place unnecessary burdens on
the licensee. These relaxations were the result of generic NRC actions
or other analyses. They have been justified on a case-by-case basis for
Calvert Cliffs as will be described in the staff's Safety Evaluation to
be issued with the license amendment which will be noticed in the
Federal Register.
In addition to the changes described above, the licensee proposed
certain changes to the existing TS that deviated from the STS in NUREG-
1432. These additional proposed changes are described in the licensee's
application and in the staff's Notice of Consideration of Issuance of
Amendment to Facility Operating License and Opportunity for a Hearing
(62 FR 4816). Where these changes represent a change to the current
licensing basis for Calvert Cliffs, they have been justified on a case-
by-case basis and will be described in the staff's Safety Evaluation to
be issued with the license amendment.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action
and concludes that the proposed TS conversion would not increase the
probability or consequences of accidents previously analyzed and would
not affect facility radiation levels or facility radiological
effluents.
Changes that are administrative in nature have been found to have
no effect on the technical content of the TS, and are acceptable. The
increased clarity and understanding these changes bring to the TS are
expected to improve the operator's control of the plant in normal and
accident conditions.
Relocation of requirements to licensee-controlled documents does
not change the requirements themselves. Future changes to these
requirements may be made by the licensee under 10 CFR 50.59 or other
NRC-approved control mechanisms, which ensures continued maintenance of
adequate requirements. All such relocations have been found to be in
conformance with the guidelines of NUREG-1432 and the Final Policy
Statement, and, therefore, are acceptable.
Changes involving more restrictive requirements have been found to
be acceptable and are likely to enhance the safety of plant operations.
Changes involving less restrictive requirements have been reviewed
individually. When requirements have been shown to provide little or no
safety benefit or place unnecessary burdens on the licensee, their
removal from the TS was justified. In most cases, relaxations
previously granted to individual plants on a plant-specific basis were
the result of a generic NRC action, or of agreements reached during
discussions with the OG and found to be acceptable for Calvert Cliffs.
Generic relaxations contained in NUREG-1432 as well as proposed
deviations from NUREG-1432 have also been reviewed by the NRC staff and
have been found to be acceptable.
In summary, the proposed revision to the TS was found to provide
control of plant operations such that reasonable assurance will be
provided so that the health and safety of the public will be adequately
protected.
These TS changes will not increase the probability or consequences
of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of any effluent
that may be released offsite, and there is no significant increase in
the allowable individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure.
Therefore, the Commission concludes that there are no significant
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed
action involves features located entirely within the restricted area as
defined in 10 CFR Part 20. It does not affect nonradiological plant
effluents and has no other environmental impact. Accordingly, the
Commission concludes that there are no significant nonradiological
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Since the Commission has concluded there is no measurable
environmental impact associated with the proposed amendments, any
alternatives with equal or greater environmental impact need not be
evaluated. The principal alternative to the proposed action would be to
deny the request for the amendment. Denial of the application would
result in no change in current environmental impacts. Such action would
not reduce the environmental impacts of plant operations. 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 dated April
1973, for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on March 16, 1998, the staff
consulted with the Maryland State official, Richard J. McLean, of the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 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 letters dated December 4, 1996, as supplemented by letters
dated March 27, June 9, June 18, July 21, August 14, August 19,
September 10, October 6, October 20, October 23, November 5, 1997, and
January 12 and 28, 1998, which are available for public inspection at
the Commission's Public Document Room, The Gelman Building, 2120 L
Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at the local public document room
located at the Calvert County Library, Prince Frederick, Maryland
20678.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of March 1998.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
S. Singh Bajwa,
Director, Project Directorate I-1, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II,
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 98-7425 Filed 3-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
