[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 178 (Thursday, September 13, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47699-47700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-22978]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-334 and 50-412]


Firstenergy Nuclear Operating Company, Ohio Edison Company: 
Pennsylvania Power Company: Beaver Valley Power Station, Unit Nos. 1 
and 2 (BVPS-1 and 2); 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 (FOL) Nos. DPR-
66 and NPF-73, issued to FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, et al. 
(the licensee), for operation of BVPS-1 and 2, located in Shippingport, 
Pennsylvania. 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

    The proposed action would revise the FOL and the technical 
specifications (TSs) to reflect an increased licensed maximum steady 
state reactor core power level of 2689 megawatts thermal (MWt), an 
increase of approximately 1.4% as compared to the current licensed 
maximum steady state reactor core power level of 2652 MWt. This 
increase is facilitated by taking advantage of the reduced feedwater 
flow measurement uncertainty associated with utilization of the Caldon 
Leading Edge Flowmeter.
    The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's 
application dated January 18, 2001 (Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System [ADAMS] Accession No. ML010230096), as supplemented 
by letters dated February 20 (ADAMS Accession No. ML010540305), April 
12 (ADAMS Accession No. Ml011130105), May 7 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML011340076), May 18 (ADAMS Accession No. ML011440046), June 9 (3 
letters) (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML011640192, ML011640189, and 
ML011640086), June 26 (ADAMS Accession No. ML011840215), and June 29 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML011870434), 2001.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would allow an increase in power generation at 
BVPS-1 and 2 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 NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and 
concludes that the proposed action does not present a significant 
environmental impact.
    The Commission has previously evaluated the environmental impacts 
of operation of BVPS-1 and 2, as described in the final environmental 
statements (FESs) for BVPS-1 and 2, dated July 31, 1973, and September 
30, 1985, respectively (Nuclear Documents Systems [NUDOCS] Accession 
Nos. 8907200125 and 8509300559, respectively). The findings and 
conclusions of the BVPS-1 and 2 FESs remain bounding and valid for the 
proposed power uprate conditions.
    With regard to dose consequences of postulated design-basis 
accidents (DBAs), the licensee has confirmed that the calculated dose 
consequences resulting from a postulated DBA at the exclusion area 
boundary, low population zone, and the control room remain within the 
acceptable regulatory guidelines of Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR) part 20, 10 CFR part 100, and 10 CFR part 50, 
appendix A, General Design Criterion 19. The NRC staff found the 
calculated dose consequence results of a postulated BVPS-1 Main Steam 
Line Break DBA acceptable in License Amendment No. 236 dated March 12, 
2001 (ADAMS Accession No. ML010460384). The NRC staff found all other 
calculated dose consequence results for postulated BVPS-1 and 2 DBAs 
acceptable in License Amendments Nos. 237 and 119, dated March 22, 2001 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML010610212) for BVPS-1 and 2, respectively (the 
environmental assessment for this action was published in the Federal 
Register on March 15, 2001 (66 FR 15147)). The licensee's current 
shielding and DBA dose consequence analyses assume a maximum steady 
state power level of 2766 MWt and 2705 MWt, respectively. These values 
bound the proposed increase in the maximum licensed steady state 
reactor core power level to 2689 MWt and the .6% core power measurement 
uncertainty that will result from the use of the Caldon Leading Edge 
Flowmeter technology.

[[Page 47700]]

Occupational doses for normal operations will be maintained within 
acceptable limits by the site ALARA (as-low-as-reasonably-achievable) 
program.
    With regard to potentially increased normal radiological releases, 
the BVPS-1 and 2 gaseous and liquid waste system designs were based on 
operation at a maximum steady state reactor core power level of 2766 
MWt and, consequently, can accommodate the effects of the power uprate 
satisfactorily. The gaseous and liquid effluent releases are expected 
to increase from current values by no more than the percentage increase 
in power level. Effluents are controlled administratively by the 
Offsite Dose Calculation Manual which ensures that offsite release 
concentrations and doses are maintained well within the limits of 10 
CFR part 50, Appendix I. Normal average gaseous releases remain limited 
to a small fraction of 10 CFR part 20, appendix B, Table 2 limits.
    With respect to potentially increased normal solid waste 
generation, the volume of solid waste would not be expected to increase 
significantly as compared to that generated at the current power 
levels, since the power uprate neither appreciably impacts installed 
equipment performance nor does it require drastic changes in system 
operation. Only minor, if any, changes in solid waste generation volume 
are expected. As the estimated coolant activity does not change 
appreciably and maintenance and operational practices are not expected 
to change, the calculated specific activity of solid waste is not 
expected to change.
    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. BVPS-1 
and 2 employ a closed-loop cooling system that includes natural draft 
cooling towers (one per unit) to dissipate waste heat to the 
atmosphere. All water used at the plant is recycled within the closed-
loop cooling system except station makeup that comes from the Ohio 
River via the service water system. The Beaver Valley National 
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Impact (NPDES) permit 
(Permit No. PA0025615) does not place any absolute operating limits on 
either flow or temperature for discharging into the Ohio river. Due to 
the design of the closed-loop cooling system and the relatively small 
increase in waste heat generated due to the power uprate, the minimal 
potential increase in flow and temperature to the Ohio river will have 
no adverse impact on the environment. 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 resource than 
those previously considered in the FESs for BVPS-1 and 2, dated July 
31, 1973, and September 30, 1985, respectively.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    On August 10, 2001, the NRC staff consulted with the Pennsylvania 
State official, Mr. Larry Ryan of the Pennsylvania Department of 
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Radiation Protection, 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.
    Further details with respect to the proposed action may be found in 
the licensee's letter dated January 18, 2001, as supplemented by 
letters dated February 20, April 12, May 7, May 18, June 9 (3 letters), 
June 26, and June 29, 2001. 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. Publically available records will be accessible 
electronically from the ADAMS Public Library component on the NRC Web 
site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Public Electronic Reading Room). 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 at 
[email protected].


    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of September 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lawrence J. Burkhart,
Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate I, Division of 
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-22978 Filed 9-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P