[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-15024]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: June 21, 1994]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-293]
Boston Edison Co.; Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station; 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-35, issued to the Boston Edison Company (BECo, or the licensee),
for operation of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, located in
Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Identification of Proposed Action
The amendment would consist of changes to the Technical
Specifications (TSs) and would authorize an increase of the storage
capacity of the spent fuel pool (SFP) from 2320 fuel assemblies to 3859
fuel assemblies.
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, 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 SFP expansions
on a case-by-case basis.
For Pilgrim, the expansion of the storage capacity of the SFP will
not create any significant additional radiological effects or
nonradiological environmental impacts.
The additional whole body dose that might be received by an
individual at the site boundary and the estimated dose to the
population within an 80 kilometer radius is believed to be too small to
have any significance when compared to the fluctuations in the annual
dose this population receives from exposure to background radiation.
The occupational radiation dose for the proposed operation of the
expanded SFP is estimated to be extremely small compared to the total
annual occupational radiation exposure for this facility.
The only nonradiological impact affected by the SFP expansion is
the waste heat rejected. The total increase in heat load rejected to
the environment will be small in comparison to the amount of total heat
currently being released. There is no significant environmental impact
attributed to the waste heat from the plant due to this very small
increase.
Finding of no Significant Impact
The staff has reviewed the proposed SFP expansion to the facility
relative to the requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 51. Based on this
assessment, the NRC 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 to the TSs dated February 11, 1993, (2) the
FGEIS on Handling and Storage of Spent Light Water Power Reactor Fuel
(NUREG-0575), (3) the Final Environmental Statement for the Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Station, dated May 1972, and (4) the Environmental
Assessment dated June 15, 1994.
These documents are available for public inspection at the
Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC
20555, and at the local public document room located at Plymouth Public
Library, 11 North Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of June 1994.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Walter R. Butler,
Director, Project Directorate I-3, Division of Reactor Projects-I/II,
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-15024 Filed 6-20-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
