93358 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 26, 2024 / Notices 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket No. 50–390; NRC–2024–0201] 

Tennessee Valley Authority; Watts Bar 

Nuclear Plant, Unit 1; Environmental 

Assessment and Finding of No 

Significant Impact 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) is considering 

issuance of an amendment to Facility 

Operating License No. NPF–90, issued 

on February 7, 1996, and held by the 

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, the 

licensee) for the operation of Watts Bar 

Nuclear Plant (Watts Bar), Unit 1. The 

proposed action would revise the 

expiration date for Facility Operating 

License No. NPF–90 from November 9, 

2035, to February 7, 2036. Specifically, 

the expiration date of the Watts Bar, 

Unit 1, full-power operating license 

(FPOL) would be revised such that it 

would expire 40 years from the date of 

issuance of the FPOL, as permitted by 

the NRC’s regulations. The NRC staff is 

issuing an environmental assessment 

(EA) and finding of no significant 

impact (FONSI) associated with the 

proposed amendment. 

DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in 

this document are available on 

November 26, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID 

NRC–2024–0201 when contacting the 

NRC about the availability of 

information regarding this document. 

You may obtain publicly available 

information related to this document 

using any of the following methods: 

• Federal Rulemaking website: Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and search 

for Docket ID NRC–2024–0201. Address 

questions about Docket IDs in 

Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 

telephone: 301–415–0624; email: 

Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical 

questions, contact the individual listed 

in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section of this document. 

• NRC’s Agencywide Documents 

Access and Management System 

(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly 

available documents online in the 

ADAMS Public Documents collection at 

https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ 

adams.html. To begin the search, select 

‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For 

problems with ADAMS, please contact 

the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR) 

reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, at 

301–415–4737, or by email to 

PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. For the 

convenience of the reader, instructions 

about obtaining materials referenced in 

this document are provided in the 

‘‘Availability of Documents.’’ 

• NRC’s PDR: The PDR, where you 

may examine and order copies of 

publicly available documents, is open 

by appointment. To make an 

appointment to visit the PDR, please 

send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov 

or call 1–800–397–4209 or 301–415– 

4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern 

time (ET), Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kimberly Green, Office of Nuclear 

Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, 

DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415– 

1627; email: Kimberly.Green@nrc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction 

The NRC is considering issuance of an 

amendment to Facility Operating 

License No. NPF–90, issued to TVA, for 

operation of Watts Bar, Unit 1, located 

in Rhea County, Tennessee. The 

licensee requested the amendment to 

the Facility Operating License by letter 

dated April 17, 2024. If approved, the 

amendment would revise the expiration 

date of the license such that it would 

expire 40 years from the date of the 

issuance of the FPOL, as is permitted by 

section 50.51 of title 10 of the Code of 

Federal Regulations (10 CFR), 

‘‘Continuation of license.’’ Because this 

action does not fall within the NRC’s list 

of categorical exclusions in 10 CFR 

51.22, ‘‘Criterion for categorical 

exclusion; identification of licensing 

and regulatory actions eligible for 

categorical exclusion or otherwise not 

requiring environmental review,’’ the 

NRC prepared an EA, as required by 10 

CFR 51.21, ‘‘Criteria for and 

identification of licensing and 

regulatory actions requiring 

environmental assessments.’’ Based on 

the results of the EA that follows, the 

NRC has determined not to prepare an 

environmental impact statement for the 

amendment and is issuing a FONSI. 

II. Environmental Assessment 

Description of the Proposed Action 

The proposed action would revise the 

expiration date of Facility Operating 

License No. NPF–90, for Watts Bar, Unit 

1, from November 9, 2035, to February 

7, 2036, as described in the licensee’s 

application dated April 17, 2024. 

Need for the Proposed Action 

On November 9, 1995, the NRC issued 

a low-power testing license (No. NPF– 

20) that authorized TVA to operate 

Watts Bar, Unit 1, at up to 5 percent of 

rated thermal power. On February 7, 

1996, the NRC issued an FPOL (No. 

NPF–90) that authorized TVA to operate 

Watts Bar, Unit 1, at up to 100 percent 

of rated thermal power, with an 

expiration date 40 years from the date 

of the issuance of the low-power 

license. 

The proposed action would allow the 

licensee to recapture the 90 days during 

which Watts Bar, Unit 1, operated at 

low power, and extend the license 

expiration date to February 7, 2036. The 

proposed action is consistent with NRC 

policy established in the Staff 

Requirements Memorandum (SRM) for 

SECY–98–296, ‘‘Staff Requirements— 

SECY–98–296—Agency Policy 

Regarding Licensee Recapture of LowPower Testing or Shutdown Time for 

Nuclear Power Plants,’’ dated March 30, 

1999, and SECY–98–296, ‘‘Agency 

Policy Regarding Licensee Recapture of 

Low-Power Testing or Shutdown Time 

for Nuclear Power Plants,’’ dated 

December 21, 1998. 

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed 

Action 

NUREG–0498, ‘‘Final Environmental 

Statement related to the operation of 

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units Nos. 1 

and 2’’ (FES–OL), dated December 1978, 

concluded that Watts Bar, Units 1 and 

2, could operate with minimal 

environmental impacts. Supplement 1 

to NUREG–0498, which was issued to 

re-examine the issues associated with 

the environmental review before 

issuance of an operating license, 

concluded that the changes in the 

design of the Watts Bar plant, the 

proposed operations, and the affected 

environment, including population and 

demographics, land use, water use, 

regional climatology and site 

meteorology, background radiation, 

terrestrial environment, and the aquatic 

environment since the publication of 

the 1978 FES–OL, are not significant 

and, therefore, do not result in a 

significant change in the environmental 

impacts described in the 1978 FES–OL. 

The proposed action would not affect 

the design or operation of Watts Bar, 

Unit 1, and does not involve any plant 

modifications or increase the licensed 

power for the plant. Therefore, the 

proposed action would have no direct 

impact on land use or water resources, 

including terrestrial and aquatic biota. 

In addition, the proposed action would 

have no noticeable effect on 

socioeconomic and environmental 

justice conditions in the region, and no 

adverse effect on historic and cultural 

resources. Similarly, the proposed 

action would not significantly increase 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 26, 2024 / Notices 93359 

the probability or consequences of 

accidents or change the types of 

effluents released offsite. Because the 

proposed action would extend the 

operating license by 90 days, which 

represents only a small fraction of the 

40-year operating life considered in 

NUREG–0498, there would be no 

significant increase in the amount of 

any effluent released or waste generated, 

and no significant increase in 

occupational or public radiation 

exposure. The additional quantities of 

effluents and waste generated during the 

proposed 90-day period of extension 

would be nominal and in accordance 

with current operating requirements and 

regulatory limits. Therefore, the NRC 

staff concludes that there would be no 

significant radiological or nonradiological environmental impacts 

associated with the proposed action. 

The proposed action would have no 

effect on air pollutant emissions or 

ambient air quality. Therefore, the 

proposed action would have no 

significant effect on the quality of the 

human environment. 

Environmental Impacts of the 

Alternatives to the Proposed Action 

As an alternative to the proposed 

action, the NRC staff considered denial 

of the amendment request (i.e., the ‘‘noaction’’ alternative). Denial of the 

amendment request would result in 90 

fewer days of operation because the 

FPOL would expire on its current 

expiration date of November 9, 2035. 

Therefore, there would be no change in 

current environmental impacts. 

Accordingly, the environmental impacts 

from the proposed action and the noaction alternative would be similar. 

Alternative Use of Resources 

There are no unresolved conflicts 

concerning alternative uses of available 

resources under the proposed action. 

Agencies and Persons Consulted 

The NRC staff did not enter into 

consultation with any other Federal 

agencies or persons regarding the 

environmental impact of the proposed 

action. However, in accordance with 10 

CFR 50.91, ‘‘Notice for public comment; 

State consultation,’’ the licensee 

provided copies of its application to the 

State of Tennessee. The NRC staff 

consulted with the State of Tennessee 

on November 1, 2024, regarding its 

proposed determination of no 

significant hazards consideration, and 

the State had no comments. 

III. Finding of No Significant Impact 

TVA requested a license amendment 

to revise the expiration date of the Watts 

Bar, Unit 1, license such that it would 

expire 40 years from the date of 

issuance of the FPOL, as permitted by 

10 CFR 50.51. The proposed action is in 

accordance with the licensee’s 

application dated April 17, 2024. 

Consistent with 10 CFR 51.21, the 

NRC conducted an environmental 

review of the proposed action and, in 

accordance with 10 CFR 51.32(a)(4), this 

FONSI incorporates the EA in Section II 

of this document by reference. As stated 

earlier, the NRC staff concludes that the 

proposed action will not have a 

significant effect on the quality of the 

human environment. Accordingly, the 

NRC staff has determined an 

environmental impact statement for the 

proposed action is not warranted. 

This FONSI and related 

environmental documents are available 

for public inspection online in the 

ADAMS Public Documents collection at 

https://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’s PDR reference staff by telephone 

at 1–800–397–4209 or 301–415–4737, or 

by email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. 

IV. Availability of Documents 

The documents identified in the 

following table are available to 

interested persons through ADAMS. 

Document description Adams Accession No. 

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, License Amendment Request to Recapture Low-Power 

Testing Time (WBN–TS–23–19) dated April 17, 2024.

ML24108A015. 

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, Issuance of Low-Power Operating License No. NPF–20, 

dated November 9, 1995.

ML020780254. 

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, Issuance of Full-Power Operating License No. NPF–20, 

dated February 7, 1996.

ML073460320 (Package). 

SRM for SECY–98–296, ‘‘Staff Requirements—SECY–98–296—Agency Policy Regarding Licensee Recapture of Low-Power Testing or Shutdown Time for Nuclear Power 

Plants,’’ dated March 30, 1999.

ML20205C095. 

SECY–98–296, ‘‘Agency Policy Regarding Licensee Recapture of Low-Power Testing or 

Shutdown Time for Nuclear Power Plants,’’ dated December 21, 1998.

ML992870025. 

NUREG–0498, ‘‘Final Environmental Statement related to the operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units Nos. 1 and 2’’ (FES–OL), dated December 1978.ML082560457 (Package). 

Supplement 1 to NUREG–0498, dated April 1995 ............................................................... ML081430592. 

Dated: November 21, 2024. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Kimberly Green, 

Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing 

Branch II–2, Division of Operating Reactor 

Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor 

Regulation. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27667 Filed 11–25–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket No. 11005472; NRC–2024–0195] 

Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC; 

Export License Application 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Opportunity to provide 

comments, request a hearing, and 

petition for leave to intervene. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) received and is 

considering issuing an export license 

(XR169/02), requested by Westinghouse 

Electric Company, LLC (WEC) by 

application dated June 11, 2015. The 

application seeks the NRC’s approval to: 

export nuclear equipment and 

components to China, covered under 

NRC regulations; expand the description 

of the nuclear equipment and 

components; add two additional units at 

both the Sanmen and Haiyang sites for 

a total of four units at each site; change 

the name of one of the ‘‘Suppliers and/ 

or Other Parties to the Export’’; update 

the licensee’s address; change the 

licensee point of contact; and extend the 


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