[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 29, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71129-71130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30433]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-390]
Tennessee Valley Authority; Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1;
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an amendment to the Facility Operating License (FOL) issued
to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, licensee) for operation of the
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 (WBN). The facility is located at the
licensee's site on the west branch of the Tennessee River approximately
50 miles northeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of Proposed Action
The proposed license amendment would allow the licensee to increase
the licensed thermal power level of WBN, Unit 1, from 3411 to 3459
megawatts thermal (MWt), which represents a 1.4 percent increase in the
allowable thermal power. This facility was authorized for power
production at 3411 MWt with issuance of the FOL on February 7, 1996.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application for license amendment dated June 7, as supplemented by
letters dated June 23, August 24, September 26, October 6, October 27
and November 16, 2000.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action will allow an increase in power generation at
WBN to provide additional electrical power for distribution to the
grid. Power uprate has been widely recognized by the industry as a safe
and cost-effective method to increase generating capacity.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The Commission has previously evaluated the environmental impact of
operation of WBN, as described in the ``Final Environmental Statement
Related to the Operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2,''
NUREG-0498, December 1978 and its Supplement 1, April 1995. With regard
to consequences of postulated accidents, the licensee has reanalyzed
the design-basis accident doses for the exclusion area boundary, low
population zone, and the control room dose to the operators and
determined that there will be a small increase in these doses; however,
the analysis presented in NUREG-0498 postulates these doses resulting
from releases at 104.5 percent of the currently licensed power level.
Thus, the increase in postulated doses due to design-basis accidents is
bounded by the previous evaluation presented in NUREG-0498. No increase
in the probability of these accidents is expected to occur.
With regard to normal releases, calculations have been performed
that show the potential impact on the radiological effluents from the
proposed 1.4 percent increase in power level of WBN. For the 1.4
percent uprating calculation, the offsite doses from normal effluent
releases remain significantly below the bounding limits of Title 10 of
the Code of Federal Regulation (10 CFR), Part 50, Appendix I. Normal
annual average gaseous releases remain limited to a small fraction of
10 CFR Part 20 limits for identified mixtures. Solid and liquid waste
processing systems are expected to operate within their design
requirements. More frequent operation of these systems may lead to a
slight increase in solid and liquid waste production.
The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action
and concludes that the proposed action will
[[Page 71130]]
not increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes
are being made in the types of any 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 involve any historic sites. With regard to thermal
discharges to the Chickamauga Reservoir on the Tennessee River, a small
increase in the upstream to downstream temperature rise allowed by the
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the
Tennessee River is expected, due to the proposed 1.4 percent power
uprate. The increase is expected to be approximately 0.1 degrees
Fahrenheit, and therefore, insignificant. Existing administrative
controls ensure the conduct of adequate monitoring such that
appropriate actions can be taken to preclude exceeding NPDES permitted
limits. No additional monitoring requirements or other changes relative
to the NPDES permit are required as a result of the power uprate.
Therefore, as described in the preceding discussions, the 1.4
percent uprate of WBN does not have a significant environmental impact
on the Chickamauga Reservoir.
No other nonradiological impacts are associated with the proposed
action.
Based upon the above, the Commission concludes that the proposed
action 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 resources not previously
considered in the FES for Watts Bar.
Agencies and Persons Contacted
In accordance with its stated policy, on November 20, 2000, the
staff consulted with the Tennessee State Official, Mr. J. Graves,
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 this 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 this action.
For further details with respect to this action, see the licensee's
application for license amendment dated June 7, 2000, as supplemented
June 23, August 24, September 26, October 6, October 27 and November
16, 2000. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the
NRC's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible electronically from the ADAMS Public Library
component on the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Electronic
Reading Room).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 21st day of November 2000.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kahtan N. Jabbour,
Acting Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of Licensing
Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 00-30433 Filed 11-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P