[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 19, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13335-13336]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6543]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-440]
FirstEnergy Corporation; Perry Nuclear Power Plant; Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) part 50, section 50.60(b) for Facility Operating
License No. 59, issued to FirstEnergy Corporation (the licensee), for
operation of the Perry Nuclear Power Plant (PNPP), located in Lake
County, Ohio. 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
10 CFR 50.60 requires that pressure-temperature (P-T) limits be
established for reactor pressure vessels during normal operating and
hydrostatic or leak rate testing conditions in accordance with
appendices G and H to part 50. Specifically, 10 CFR part 50, appendix
G, states, ``The appropriate requirements on both the pressure-
temperature limits and the minimum permissible temperature must be met
for all conditions.'' Appendix G of 10 CFR part 50 specifies that the
requirements for these limits are the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (Code), section XI,
appendix G limits. The licensee requested in its submittal that the
staff exempt PNPP from application of specific requirements of 10 CFR
part 50, section 50.60(a) and appendix G, and substitute use of ASME
Code Case N-640. Code Case N-640 permits the use of an alternate
reference fracture toughness (KIC fracture toughness curve
instead of Kla fracture toughness curve) for reactor vessel
materials in determining the P-T limits. Since the KIC
fracture toughness curve shown in ASME section XI, appendix A, Figure
A-2200-1 (the KIC fracture toughness curve) provides greater
allowable fracture toughness than the corresponding Kla
fracture toughness curve of ASME section X appendix G, Fixture G-2210
(the Kla fracture toughness curve); using Code Case
[chyph]N-640 for establishing the P-T limits would be less conservative
than the methodology currently endorsed by 10 CFR part 50, appendix G.
Therefore, an exemption from 10 CFR 50.60 would also be required. It
should be noted that,
[[Page 13336]]
although Code Case N-640 was incorporated into the ASME Code recently,
an exemption is still needed because the P-T limits required by 10 CFR
50.60 are based on the 1989 edition of the ASME Code.
The new P-T limits calculated by the methodologies that are subject
to the exemptions are incorporated into the PNPP Technical
Specifications by an associated proposed license amendment submitted by
the licensee. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application for exemption and amendment dated June 4, 2002.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The revised P-T limits are desired to allow required reactor vessel
hydrostatic and leak tests to be performed at a significantly lower
temperature. These tests are to be performed during the upcoming
refueling outage scheduled to commence in April 2003. The lower
temperature for the tests can reduce refueling outage critical path
time by reducing or eliminating the heatup time to achieve required
test conditions.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The Commission has evaluated the proposed action and concludes that
the exemption and associated license amendment described above would
provide an adequate margin of safety against brittle failure of the
PNPP reactor vessel. Since the proposed changes do not adversely affect
the integrity of the reactor vessel, the function of the vessel to act
as a radiological barrier during an accident is not affected.
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 not significant
increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there
are not significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed
action.
With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does
not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there is not 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 resources that
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for
the PNPP, dated April 1974.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On March 11, 2003, the staff consulted with the Illinois State
Official, Frank Niziolek of the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety,
regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The Staff
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 June 4, 2002. Documents may be examined, and/or
copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at
One White Flint North, 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 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to
[email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of March, 2003.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Anthony J. Mendiola,
Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate III-2, Division of Licensing
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 03-6543 Filed 3-18-03; 8:45 am]
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