[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 213 (Monday, November 3, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65415-65416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-26133]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 [Docket No. 50-366]


Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit No. 2; Southern Nuclear 
Operating Company, Inc.; Operating License No. NPF-5; 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 46, and Appendix K to Part 50, 
for Facility Operating License No. NPF-5, issued to Southern Nuclear 
Operating Company (the licensee), for operation of the Edwin I. Hatch 
Nuclear Plant, Unit 2 located in Appling County, Georgia. 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 allow the use of Ziron fuel cladding. The 
proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's application dated 
March 21, 2008, as supplemented May 2, August 8, and September 22, 
2008.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow a small number of lead test 
assemblies (LTAs) that will include some fuel rods manufactured with a 
cladding material, called GNF-Ziron, which is similar in composition to 
Zircaloy-2, but contains a slightly higher iron content than specified 
in ASTM B350. Irradiation of LTAs with GNF-Ziron fuel rods will enable 
SNC to acquire in-reactor operating experience with this material. 
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, ``Specific Exemptions,'' the licensee has 
requested an exemption to 10 CFR 50.46, ``acceptance criteria for 
emergency core cooling systems for light-water nuclear power 
reactors,'' that requires, among other items, that ``each boiling or 
pressurized light-water nuclear power reactor fueled with uranium oxide 
pellets within cylindrical zircaloy or ZIRLO cladding, must be provided 
with an emergency core cooling system (ECCS) that must be designed so 
that its calculated cooling performance following postulated loss-of-
coolant accidents conforms to the criteria set forth in paragraph (b) 
of this section.'' Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50, ``ECCS Evaluation 
Models,'' requires, among other items, that the rate of energy release, 
hydrogen generation, and cladding oxidation from the metal/water 
reaction shall be calculated using the Baker-Just equation. The 
regulations at 10 CFR 50.46 and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K, make no 
provisions for use of fuel rods clad in a material other than zircaloy 
or ZIRLO. The proposed action would allow the licensee to irradiate a 
small number of LTAs using fuel rods clad with Ziron alloy in Hatch, 
Unit 2. Since the material specifications of the Ziron alloy differ 
from the specification for zircaloy or ZIRLO, a plant-specific 
exemption is required to support the use of the eight assemblies.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action 
and concludes that application of 10 CFR 50.46, and Appendix K to 10 
CFR Part 50, is not necessary for the licensee to achieve its 
underlying purposes.
    The details of the NRC staff safety evaluation will be provided in 
the exemption that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee 
approving the exemption to the regulation.
    The staff has concluded that such a change would not adversely 
affect plant safety, and would have no adverse effect on the 
probability of any accident. For accidents that involve damage or 
melting of the fuel in the reactor core, the fuel rod integrity of GNF-
Ziron cladded fuel has been shown to be similar to zircaloy cladded 
fuel; therefore, the probability of an accident will not be affected. 
For accidents in which the core remains intact, the use of GNF-Ziron 
cladding will not have a significant effect on the mix of fission 
products that could be released in the event of a serious accident; 
thus, the previously analyzed accident dose consequences remain 
bounding. Regulatory limits on radiological effluent releases are 
independent of the type of fuel cladding used. The requirements of 10 
CFR 50.36a, Appendix I to 10 CFR Part 50, and 40 CFR Part 190, as well 
as the plant's Technical Specifications ensure that the release of 
radioactive gaseous, liquid, and solid waste to unrestricted areas are 
kept to ``as low as reasonably achievable'' (ALARA) levels. The 
licensee's radioactive waste processing system will collect, control, 
process to reduce the amount of radioactivity, and discharge the waste 
in accordance with regulatory limits. Therefore, the staff concluded 
that during routine operations, there will be no significant increase 
of radiological effluents released into the environment as a result of 
the proposed exemption request. No significant increase in the 
allowable individual occupational radiation

[[Page 65416]]

exposure will occur. The impact to workers is not expected to change 
because radiation exposure will be controlled in accordance with the 
licensee's radiation protection program, the ALARA program, in-plant 
shielding, the use of temporary shielding, and engineering controls. 
The use of GNF-Ziron fuel rods will not change the potential 
environmental impacts of incident-free transportation of spent nuclear 
fuel provided the shipping casks are maintained and transported within 
the Department of Transportation and NRC regulations. Therefore, there 
are no significant radiological 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 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 resources than 
those previously considered in NUREG-1437, Supplement 4, ``Generic 
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants,'' 
Supplement 4, Regarding the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 
2,'' dated May 31, 2001.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on September 18, 2008, the 
NRC staff consulted with the Georgia State official, Mr. Jim Hardeman, 
of the Department of Natural Resources, 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 letters dated March 21, 2008, as supplemented May 2, August 
8, and September 22, 2008. 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 O1F21, 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 send 
an e-mail to [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day of October, 2008.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert E. Martin,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-1, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
 [FR Doc. E8-26133 Filed 10-31-08; 8:45 am]
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