[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 170 (Thursday, September 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48211-48212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22913]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-361 AND 50-362]
Southern California Edison Co.; San Onofre Nuclear Generating
Station, Units 2 and 3, 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 Nos. NPF-10 and NPF-15,
issued to Southern California Edison (the licensee), for operation of
the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), Units 2 and 3,
located in San Diego County, California.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would exempt Southern California Edison from
the requirements of 10 CFR 50.44, ``Standards for combustible gas
control system in light-water cooled power reactors,'' and 10 CFR part
50, Appendix A, General Design Criterion 41, ``Containment atmosphere
clean-up.''
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application for exemption dated September 10, 1998, as supplemented
July 19, 1999.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action would allow the licensee to remove hydrogen
control requirements from the SONGS Units 2 and 3 design basis. The
hydrogen control requirements in the SONGS design basis are not
required to provide assurance that the containment would not fail due
to combustible gas accumulation and ignition during accidents where
fission products would be present in the containment atmosphere. The
exemption would also allow the licensee to modify emergency operating
instructions to remove operator action requirements for controlling
hydrogen concentration in containment because the hydrogen control
requirements are no longer necessary.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action.
Current design analyses assess the potential for offsite dose
consequences based on maximum allowable leakage and the potential for
containment failure. The proposed exemption does
[[Page 48212]]
not change the allowed leakage, and therefore does not affect the
offsite dose consequences based on this criteria. The licensee has
concluded and the Commission agrees that removing the hydrogen control
systems will not result in containment failure for any postulated
accident or normal operating conditions. The proposed action will not
increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are
being made in the types of any effluents that may be released offsite,
and there is no significant increase in occupational or public
radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed
action does not involve any historical sites. It does not affect
nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact.
Therefore, there are no significant nonradiological environmental
impacts associated with the proposed action.
Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered
denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative).
Denial of the application 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 for the San
Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Units 2 and 3, dated April 1981,
with Errata dated June 1981.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on August 6, 1999, the staff
consulted with the California State official, Mr. Steven Hsu of the
Radiologic Health Branch, State Department of Health Services,
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State
official had no comments.
Finding of No Significant Impact
On the basis of 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 September 10, 1998, as supplemented by letter
dated July 19, 1999, 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 Main Library, University of California, Irvine, California 92713.
Dated at Rockville, MD, this 25th day of August 1999.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
L. Raghavan,
Senior Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate IV and
Decommissioning Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 99-22913 Filed 9-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
