Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 189 / Tuesday, September 30, 1997 / Notices 51167

Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington,

DC, and at the local public document room,

located at the Coastal Region Library, 8619

W. Crystal Street, Crystal River, Florida

34428.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day

of September 1997.

For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

L. Raghavan, Sr.,

Project Manager, Project Directorate II–3,

Division of Reactor Projects—I/II, Office of

Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–25899 Filed 9–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 2590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50–338]

In the Matter of Virginia Electric and

Power Company North Anna Power

Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Exemption

and 50–339

I

The Virginia Electric and Power

Company (the licensee) is the holder of

Facility Operating License Nos. NPF–4

and NPF–7, which authorize operation

of the North Anna Power Station

(NAPS), Unit Nos. 1 and 2. The licenses

provide, among other things, that the

licensee be subject to all rules,

regulations, and Orders of the Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (the

Commission) now or hereafter in effect.

The facility consists of two

pressurized-water reactors at the

licensee’s site located in Louisa County,

Virginia.

II

The Code of Federal Regulations at 10

CFR 70.24, ‘‘Criticality Accident

Requirements,’’ requires that each

licensee authorized to possess special

nuclear material (SNM) shall maintain a

criticality accident monitoring system in

each area where such material is

handled, used, or stored. Subsections

(a)(1) and (a)(2) of 10 CFR 70.24 specify

detection, sensitivity and coverage

capabilities of the monitors required by

10 CFR 70.24(a). Subsection (a)(3)

requires licensees to maintain

emergency procedures for each area in

which this licensed SNM is handled,

used, or stored.

Subsection (d) of 10 CFR 70.24 states

that any licensee who believes that there

is good cause why it should be granted

an exemption from all or part of 10 CFR

70.24 may apply to the Commission for

such an exemption and shall specify the

reasons for the relief requested.

III

By letter dated January 28, 1997, as

supplemented March 24, 1997, Virginia

Electric and Power Company requested

an exemption from 10 CFR 70.24(a). The

Commission technical staff has

reviewed the licensee’s submittal and

has determined that inadvertent

criticality is not likely to occur in SNM

handling or storage areas at NAPS, Units

1 and 2.

At North Anna, SNM is present

principally as nuclear fuel. Other small

quantities of SNM are used on site.

However, the total amount used in nonfuel applications is significantly less

than the quantity specified in 10 CFR

70.24(a). The small quantity of non-fuel

SNM present, and the form in which it

is stored and used, precludes an

inadvertent criticality. Therefore, SNM

used as nuclear fuel is the only material

on site subject to the requirements of 10

CFR 70.24(a).

Nuclear fuel is stored in the new fuel

storage area and the spent fuel pool.

New fuel is stored dry (in air) in the new

fuel storage area. The spent fuel pool is

used to store irradiated fuel under water

after its discharge from the reactor, and

new fuel prior to loading into the

reactor.

The new fuel storage area is used to

receive and store new fuel in a dry

condition upon arrival on site and prior

to loading in the reactor or spent fuel

pool. The spacing between new fuel

assemblies in the storage racks is

sufficient to maintain the array in a

subcritical condition even under

accident conditions assuming the

presence of moderator. The maximum

nominal enrichment of 4.3 wt% U–235

for the new fuel assemblies results in a

maximum keff of less than 0.95 under

conditions of accidental flooding by

unborated water and keff less than 0.98

under conditions of low-density

optimum moderation. The staff has

found the design of the licensee’s new

fuel storage racks to be adequate to store

fuel enriched to 4.3 wt% U–235.

Consistent with Technical

Specification Section 5.6.1.1, the spent

fuel pool is designed to store the fuel in

a geometric array that precludes

criticality. The spent fuel racks are

designed such that the effective neutron

multiplication factor, keff, will remain

less than or equal to 0.95 under all

normal and accident conditions for fuel

of maximum nominal enrichment of 4.3

wt% U–235.

Nuclear fuel is moved between the

shipping container, the new fuel storage

racks, the reactor vessel, and the spent

fuel pool to accommodate refueling

operations. In all cases, fuel movements

are procedurally controlled and

designed to preclude conditions

involving criticality concerns.

The purpose of the criticality

monitors required by 10 CFR 70.24 is to

ensure that if a criticality were to occur

during the handling of nuclear material,

personnel would be alerted to that fact

and would take appropriate action.

Although the staff has determined that

such an accident is not likely to occur,

the licensee has radiation monitors, as

required by General Design Criterion 63,

in fuel storage and handling areas.

These monitors have associated area

alarms and control room annunciators

and would detect excessive radiation

levels and will alert personnel to allow

them to initiate appropriate emergency

procedures and safety actions. The low

probability of an inadvertent criticality

together with the licensee’s adherence

to General Design Criterion 63

constitute good cause for granting an

exemption to the requirements of 10

CFR 70.24(a).

IV

The Commission has determined that,

pursuant to 10 CFR 70.14, this

exemption is authorized by law, will not

endanger life or property or the common

defense and security, and is otherwise

in the public interest; therefore, the

Commission hereby grants Virginia

Electric and Power Company the

exemption from the requirements of 10

CFR 70.24(a) for North Anna Power

Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2, relating to

criticality accident monitoring

requirements.

V

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the

Commission has determined that the

granting of this exemption will not

result in any significant adverse

environmental impact (62 FR 49540).

This exemption is effective upon

issuance.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day

of September 1997.

For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Frank J. Miraglia,

Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 97–25900 Filed 9–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P