[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74260-74262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31577]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-305]
Nuclear Management Company, LLC, Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant;
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR-43,
issued to Nuclear Management Company, LLC (the licensee), for operation
of the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant, located in Kewaunee County,
Wisconsin. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing
this environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
The proposed action would revise the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant
operating license and technical specifications (TSs) to increase the
licensed rated power by 6.0 percent from 1673 megawatts thermal (MWt)
to 1772 MWt.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated May 22, 2003.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action permits an increase in the licensed core
thermal power from 1673 MWt to 1772 MWt for the Kewaunee Nuclear Power
Plant, providing the flexibility to obtain a higher electrical output
from the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant with minimal modifications.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The licensee has submitted an environmental evaluation supporting
the proposed stretch power uprate and provided a summary of its
conclusions concerning the radiological and non-radiological
environmental impacts of the proposed action.
Radiological Environmental Assessment
The stretch power uprate will increase the activity level of
radioactive isotopes in the primary and secondary coolant. Due to
leakage or process operations, fractions of these fluids are
transported to the liquid and gaseous radwaste systems where they are
processed prior to discharge. As the activity levels in the primary and
secondary coolant are increased, the activity level of radwaste inputs
is proportionately increased. Regulatory guidance relative to
methodology to be utilized to establish whether the radwaste effluent
releases from a pressurized-water reactor meet the requirements of 10
CFR part 20 and 10 CFR part 50, appendix I, is provided in NUREG-0017,
Revision 1. The NUREG-0017 methodology is independent of the length of
the fuel cycle.
The maximum expected increase in the reactor coolant source
(associated with the chemical group with the largest percentage
increase) is approximately 17.6 percent for noble gas activity. This
increase is primarily a combination of the impact of core power uprate
and reduction in reactor coolant system (RCS) mass. Considering the
accuracy and error bounds of the operational data utilized in NUREG-
0017, this percentage change is well within the uncertainty of the
existing NUREG-0017-based expected reactor coolant isotopic inventory
used for radwaste effluent analyses and corrected for a facility with
this power rating.
As discussed above, there is approximately a 17.6 percent increase
assumed for the liquid releases as input activities are based on the
largest long-term RCS activity increase for any chemical grouping and
on waste volumes which are essentially independent of power level
within the applicability range of NUREG-0017. Tritium releases in
liquid effluents are assumed to increase approximately 11.4 percent
(corresponding to the effective increase in core power) since the
facility is changing its power rating, without changing its operational
procedures. However, for all liquid releases, the power uprate analysis
conservatively used the worst case scaling factor for all isotopes
between the pre-uprate case and the uprate case.
For all noble gases (limiting chemical group), there will be a
maximum 17.6 percent increase in effluent releases due to the core
power uprate. Gaseous releases of Kr-85 in actuality will increase by
approximately 11.4 percent. Isotopes with shorter half lives will have
increases slightly greater than the percentage increase in power level.
The decrease in RCS mass (approximately 5 percent) contributes to the
increased concentration of this chemical group in the RCS (the primary
removal term for the non-Kr-85 noble gases is decay in the RCS) such
that the impact of power uprate is conservatively approximated at 17.6
percent. The impact of the power uprate in iodine releases is
approximated by the power level increase. The other components of the
gaseous release (that is, particulates via the building ventilation
systems and
[[Page 74261]]
water activation gases) are not impacted by the power uprate using the
methodology outlined in NUREG-0017. Tritium releases in the gaseous
effluents increase in proportion to the increased tritium production,
which is directly related to core power and is pathway allocated in the
analysis in the same ratio as pre-power uprate releases. For
particulates, the methodology of NUREG-0017 specifies the release rate
per year per unit per building ventilation system. This is not
dependent on power level. Thus, there is no change calculated for the
power uprate. However, a 17.6 percent increase will be conservatively
addressed.
The maximum increase in doses for gaseous and liquid effluents is
estimated to be 17.6 percent. The estimated doses are a very small
fraction of that allowable under appendix I.
Only minor, if any, changes in waste generation volume are
expected. However, it is expected that the activity levels for most of
the solid waste would increase proportionately to the increase in long
half life coolant activity. Thus, while the total longlived activity
contained in the waste is expected to be bounded by the percentage of
the power uprate, the increase in the overall volume of waste
generation resulting from the power uprate is expected to be minor.
The licensee stated that the power uprate has no significant impact
on the expected annual radwaste effluent releases or doses (that is,
all doses remain a small percentage of allowable Appendix I doses). The
licensee concluded that following the power uprate, the liquid and
gaseous radwaste effluent treatment system will remain capable of
maintaining normal operation offsite doses within the requirements of
10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I.
Dose Consideration
The stretch power uprate will impact the radiation source terms in
the core and the expected radiation source terms in the coolant. The
actual increase in radiation levels due to the power uprate will not
significantly affect radiation zoning or shielding requirements in the
various areas of the plant because it is expected that the increase due
to the power uprate will be offset by (1) the conservative analytical
techniques typically used to establish shielding requirements, (2) the
conservatism in the pre-power uprate design-basis RCS source terms used
to establish the radiation zones, and (3) the plant TSs that limit the
RCS concentrations to levels well below the design-basis source terms.
Individual worker exposures will be maintained within acceptable limits
by the site as-low-as-is-reasonably-achievable program that controls
access to radiation areas. The licensee stated that the stretch power
uprate has no significant effect on normal plant operation radiation
zones and shielding requirements.
Following the power uprate, the licensee stated that the post-LOCA
vital area operator dose estimates will remain within the regulatory
limits of NUREG-0578, Item 2.1.6.b and NUREG-0737 II.B.2 and II.B.3.
Non-Radiological Environmental Assessment
The licensee assessment included determining whether the power
uprate will cause the plant to exceed the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permits' effluent discharge limitations and
other conditions associated with operation of the plant. This review is
based upon information contained in the State of Wisconsin, Department
of Natural Resources (WDNR), WPDES Permit No. WI-0001571-06-0 and the
Final Environmental Statement for the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant. The
WPDES permit was effective beginning on August 1, 2002, and expires
June 30, 2005. The licensee stated that there are no requirements in
the NPDES Permit impacted by the power uprate. Circulating water outlet
temperature rise increases by approximately 1.5 [deg]F due to the power
uprate. The total temperature rise across the condenser would be 16.7
[deg]F. No change in the circulating water flow is required due to the
power uprate. The 1.5 [deg]F increase in the circulating water outlet
temperature rise is acceptable because it is within the licensee's
WPDES Permit No. WI-0001571-06-0.
Summary
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts
associated with the proposed action.
The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability
or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types of
effluents that may be released off site, 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 have a potential to affect any historic sites. It has a
small affect on nonradiological plant effluents and has no other
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant
nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed
action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Environmental Impacts of the 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
The action does not involve the use of any different resource than
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for
the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant, dated December 1972.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On November 4, 2003, the staff consulted with the Wisconsin State
official, Jeff Kitzembul of the Public Service Commission--Electric
Division, 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 NRC concludes
that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the
quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC 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 May 22, 2003. Documents may be examined, and/or
copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at
One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike
(first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be
accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the
Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR
Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-
[[Page 74262]]
397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of December 2003.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
L. Raghavan,
Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 03-31577 Filed 12-22-03; 8:45 am]
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