[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 72 (Tuesday, April 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18371-18373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9661]


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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 (the Commission) is 
considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. 
NPF-90, issued to Tennessee Valley Authority, (the licensee), for 
operation of the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, located in Rhea 
County, Tennessee.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The current spent fuel pool storage capacity at the Watts Bar 
Nuclear Plant (WBN) is 1312 fuel assembly storage locations of which 
484 are usable. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) requested an 
amendment to the WBN Unit 1 operating license that would increase the 
storage capacity of the spent fuel pool to 1835 assemblies. The 
proposal consists of replacing the existing racks with spent fuel 
storage racks that were designed, manufactured, and used until 1995 in 
the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, increasing the maximum initial enrichment 
of fuel to 5.0 weight percent (wt%) U-235, changing the spacing of 
stored fuel assemblies; adding limiting condition for operation (LCO) 
requirements for the combination of initial enrichment and burnup in an 
acceptable burnup domain, and requiring the boron concentration to be 
greater than or equal to 2000 parts per million (ppm) during fuel 
movement. The submittal also proposed surveillance requirements to 
verify the initial enrichment and burnup and require chemical analysis 
to verify boron concentration. The proposed action is in accordance 
with the licensee's application for amendment dated October 23, 1996, 
as supplemented by letters dated December 11, 1996, January 31, 
February 10 and 24, and March 11 and , 1997.

The Need for the Proposed Action

    WBN is in its first operating cycle; therefore, the spent fuel pool 
is dry and no fuel assemblies are stored in it. Under current 
conditions, the spent fuel pool capacity will support three to four 
cycles of operation before losing the capacity for a full core offload 
(193 fuel assemblies). However, taking into account loading new fuel 
into the pool and component shuffling during an outage, the ability to 
accept a discharge of one full core off-load could be impacted as early 
as the year 2000. There are no commercial independent spent fuel 
storage facilities operating in the U.S., nor are there any domestic 
reprocessing facilities; therefore, the projected loss of storage 
capacity in the WBN pool would affect TVA's ability to operate WBN. The 
proposed amendment is needed to ensure the capability of full core 
offload is available for some time in the future.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    The licensee considered several wet and dry storage alternatives to 
the proposed action. The following wet storage alternatives were 
considered by the licensee: reracking with new ultra high density 
racks, rod consolidation, and transshipment (pool-to-pool). The 
following dry storage alternatives were considered by the licensee: 
metal casks, concrete casks, concrete vaults, and multi-purpose 
canisters/overpacks. The licensee considered several factors when 
evaluating the options: effects on plant systems and operations; 
impacts on safety, including fuel handling; radiation exposure; 
industry experience; subsequent actions for further increasing onsite 
spent fuel storage capacity; flexibility for ultimate disposal of spent 
fuel; and overall costs. Based on these considerations, the licensee 
determined that reuse of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant storage racks was 
the most viable option.
    In 1975, the staff prepared a Generic Environmental Impact 
Statement (GEIS) on spent fuel storage. The findings were documented in 
NUREG-0575, ``Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) on 
Handling and Storage of Spent Light Water Power Reactor Fuel.'' The 
storage of spent fuel, as discussed in the NUREG, is considered to be 
an interim action, not a final solution to permanent disposal. The 
methods of expanding spent fuel storage capacity considered in the 
FGEIS identified negligible differences in the environmental impacts 
and costs of the different alternatives, with the exception that 
expansion of the spent fuel pool was less costly and did not involve 
transportation issues. The FGEIS noted that since there are variations 
in storage design and limitations caused by spent fuel already stored 
in the pools, licensing reviews should be performed on a case-by-case 
basis to resolve plant-specific concerns.
    The staff evaluated the licensee's list of alternatives as well as 
other alternatives. The following alternatives were considered by the 
staff:
Shipment of Fuel to a Permanent Federal Fuel Storage/Disposal Facility
    Shipment of spent fuel to a high-level radioactive storage facility 
is an alternative to increasing the onsite spent fuel storage capacity. 
However, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) high-level radioactive 
waste repository is not expected to begin receiving spent fuel until 
approximately 2010, at the earliest. In October 1996, the 
Administration did

[[Page 18372]]

commit DOE to begin storing wastes at a centralized location by January 
31, 1998. However, no location has been identified and an interim 
federal storage facility has yet to be identified in advance of a 
decision on a permanent repository. Therefore, shipping spent fuel to 
the DOE repository is not considered an alternative to increased onsite 
spent fuel storage capacity at this time.
Shipment of Fuel to a Reprocessing Facility
    Reprocessing of spent fuel from the WBN facility is not a viable 
alternative since there are no operating commercial reprocessing 
facilities in the United States. Therefore, spent fuel would have to be 
shipped to an overseas facility for reprocessing. However, this 
approach has never been used and it would require approval by the 
Department of State as well as other entities. Additionally, the cost 
of spent fuel reprocessing is not offset by the salvage value of the 
residual uranium; reprocessing represents an added cost.
Shipment of Fuel to Another Utility or Site for Storage
    The shipment of fuel to another utility for storage would provide 
short-term relief from the storage problem at WBN. The Nuclear Waste 
Policy Act and 10 CFR Part 53, however, clearly places the 
responsibility for the interim storage of spent fuel with each owner or 
operator of a nuclear plant. The shipment of fuel to another source is 
not an acceptable alternative because of increased fuel handling risks 
and additional occupational radiation exposure, as well as the fact 
that no additional storage capacity would be created.
Reduction of Spent Fuel Generation
    Improved usage of fuel and/or operation at a reduced power level 
would decrease the amount of fuel being stored in the pool and thus 
increase the amount of time before full core off-load capacity is lost. 
With extended burnup of fuel assemblies, the fuel cycle would be 
extended and fewer offloads would be necessary. The licensee is 
planning on operating on an 18-month refueling cycle, and, as part of 
this proposed amendment, the licensee plans on increasing its fuel 
enrichment to 5 percent. Operating the plant at a reduced power level 
would not make effective use of available resources, and would cause 
unnecessary economic hardship on TVA and its customers. Therefore, 
reducing the amount of spent fuel generated by increasing burnup 
further or reducing power is not considered a practical alternative.
Development of Onsite Independent Storage Facility
    An independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) is licensed 
under 10 CFR Part 72. It is a passive storage system which stores spent 
fuel in dry casks on a concrete platform in a secured area. There are 
no commercial ISFSIs operating in the United States. Although use of an 
ISFSI provides many benefits, the site-specific development of an 
independent dry fuel storage facility at WBN was deemed undesirable by 
the licensee compared to the use of the already existing, licensed 
spent fuel racks. Furthermore, construction of such a facility would 
not use the existing expansion capacity of the existing pool, would not 
use the existing spent fuel racks taken out of the Sequoyah plant, and 
would have the potential to cause additional and different 
environmental impacts due to activities related to construction and 
operation. Development of a site-specific ISFSI at this time and in 
rsponse to TVA's current needs would waste available resources.
No Action Taken
    If no action were taken, the storage capacity could be lost as 
early as 2000 and WBN would have to shut down. This alternative is 
considered a waste of available resources and is not considered viable.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action:

Radiological Impact
    The WBN has waste treatment systems designed to collect and process 
waste that may contain radioactive material. The radioactive waste 
treatment systems were evaluated in the Final Environmental Statement 
(FES) and its supplement. The Spent Fuel Pool Cooling and Cleaning 
System is designed to remove the decay heat generated by stored spent 
fuel assemblies and to clarify and purify the water to permit 
unrestricted access to the plant fuel storage area and maintain optical 
clarity of the spent fuel pool water. It is not expected that there 
will be an increase in the liquid release of radionuclides from the 
plant as a result of the spent fuel pool expansion. Although the amount 
of activity in the spent fuel pool cleanup system may increase due to 
the increased number of spent fuel assemblies and the enrichment, after 
processing by the liquid radioactive waste system, the amount of 
activity released to the environment as a result of the proposed change 
is expected to be negligible. The proposed amendment will not involve 
any change in the radioactive waste treatment systems or flowrates 
described in the FES and its supplement.
    Because the racks are being removed from the WBN plant before any 
spent fuel has been stored in them, they are not contaminated and they 
will not contribute to the volume of solid radioactive waste. 
Additionally, the Sequoyah racks are being reused and are not 
classified as solid radioactive waste at this time. No additional low 
specific activity waste output is generated and less solid waste will 
be generated due to the reuse of the spent fuel racks and removal of 
the existing racks before they become contaminated.
    In addition to the spent fuel assemblies themselves, the only other 
solid radioactive waste generated by the spent fuel pool is the spent 
fuel pool polisher resin which is used for water clarity. These resins 
are replaced approximately once per refueling cycle. No additional 
resins are expected to be generated by the pool cleanup system; 
therefore, no significant increase in the volume of solid radioactive 
waste is expected with the proposed amendment.
    The proposed amendment is not expected to significantly affect the 
doses to the workers in the fuel storage area. The licensee stated that 
pressurized water reactor experience has shown that area radiation dose 
rates are approximately 1-3 millirem/hour. Dose rates on the pool 
bridge crane platform are approximately 4-5 mrem/hr. During refueling 
operations, these rates may increase slightly. During the reracking 
procedures, the occupational exposure to the workers will be much less 
if the amendment is granted at this time rather than if the racks are 
taken out in the future, after spent fuel is stored in them. No 
increases are expected to the concentration of airborne radioactivity 
as a result of expanded storage capacity.
    The environmental impacts on the uranium fuel cycle and 
transportation resulting from the use of higher enrichment fuel and 
extended irradiation were published in NUREG/CR-5009, ``Assessment of 
the Use of Extended Burnup Fuels in Light Water Power Reactors,'' and 
discussed in the staff Environmental Assessment and Finding of No 
Significant Impact published in the Federal Register on February 29, 
1988 (53 FR 6040). The staff concluded that no significant adverse 
effects will be generated by increasing the burnup levels as long as 
the maximum rod average burnup level of any fuel rod is no greater than 
60 Gwd/MtU. The staff also stated that the environmental impacts 
summarized in

[[Page 18373]]

Table S-3 and S-4 for a burnup level of 33 Gwd/MtU are conservative and 
bound the corresponding impacts for burnup levels up to 60 Gwd/MtU and 
uranium-235 enrichments up to 5 wt%.
    Based on the above, the staff concludes that there are no 
significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the 
proposal.
Non-Radiological Impact
    The proposed amendment does not modify land use at the site; no new 
facilities or laydown areas are needed to support the rerack or 
operation after rerack; therefore, the proposal does not affect land 
use or land with historical or archeological sites.
    As a result of the proposal, steady state pool bulk temperature 
remains within the limits prescribed for the spent fuel pool to satisfy 
pool structural strength constraints. The increased spent fuel 
inventory results in a maximum bulk pool temperature increase of less 
than 10  deg.F. This increase in temperature results in an increase in 
pool water evaporation rate. The original analysis was performed 
assuming two unit operation. The licensee reanalyzed the effects of the 
increased temperature and evaporation rate and found the increases were 
well within the capacity of the existing HVAC system and continued to 
be bounded by the original analysis. The total heat load for the 
unplanned emergency core off-load is less then 35 million BTU/hr, which 
is less than one percent of the total plant heat loss.
    The proposal does not affect non-radiological plant effluents and 
no changes to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System 
(NPDES) permit are needed. The proposal does not result in any 
significant changes to land use or water use, or result in any 
significant changes to the quantity or quality of effluents; no effects 
on endangered or threatened species or on their habitat are expected.
    The proposal will not change the method of generating electricity 
nor the method of handling any influent from the environment or non-
radiological effluents to the environment. Therefore, no changes or 
different types of non-radiological environmental impacts are expected 
as a result of the amendment.

Accident Considerations

    In its application, the licensee evaluated the possible 
consequences of postulated accidents and described the means for 
mitigating these consequences should they occur. This evaluation 
included spent fuel handling accidents. A fuel handling accident may be 
viewed as a reasonably foreseeable design basis event which the pool 
and associated structure, systems, and components are designed and 
constructed to prevent. On the basis of its analysis, the licensee 
concluded that the effects of the proposed TS changes are small and 
that the calculated consequences are within regulatory requirements and 
staff guideline dose values.
    The staff evaluated the consequences of operation at a bounding 
value of burnup (60,000 MWD/T) because of the licensee's reference to 
the use of more highly enriched fuel (up to 5.0 weight percent U-235). 
The staff concluded that the only potential increased radiological 
consequences resulting from a fuel handling accident associated with 
extended burnup and higher fuel enrichment are the thyroid doses; these 
doses remain well within the acceptance criteria given in NUREG-0800 
and are, therefore, acceptable. The environmental impacts of the 
accident were found not to be significant.
    The staff has considered accidents whose consequences might exceed 
a fuel handling accident that is beyond design basis events. The 
licensee and staff, as part of the operating license review, performed 
an analysis of installation of severe accident mitigation design 
alternatives (SAMDAs) in the environmental impact review. The staff 
concluded that none of the five design improvements warranted 
implementation at WBN.
    The staff believes that the probability of severe structural damage 
occurring at WBN is extremely low. This belief is based on the 
Commission's requirements for the design and construction of the spent 
fuel pool and the contents and on the licensee's adherence to approved 
industry codes and standards. Therefore, the staff concludes that the 
potential for environmental impact from severe accidents is negligible.

Summary

    The Commission has completed its evaluation of the proposed action. 
The change will not increase the probability or consequences of 
accidents, no changes are being made in the types of any effluents that 
may be released offsite, and there is no significant increase in the 
allowable individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. 
Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no significant 
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed 
action does involve features located entirely within the restricted 
area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20. It does not affect nonradiological 
plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Accordingly, the 
Commission concludes that there are no significant nonradiological 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

Alternative Use of Resources

    This action does not involve the use of any resources not 
previously considered in the FES for WBN Units 1 and 2, dated April 
1995.

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on March 24, 1997 the staff 
consulted with the Tennessee State official, Ms. E. Flanagan of the 
Division of Radiological Health, regarding the environmental impact of 
the proposed action. The State official had no comments.

Findings of No Significant Impact

    The staff has reviewed the proposed spent fuel pool modification to 
WBN Unit 1 relative to the requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 51. 
Based upon the environmental assessment, the staff has concluded that 
there are no significant radiological or non-radiological impacts 
associated with the proposed action and that the proposed license 
amendment will not have a significant effect on the quality of the 
human environment. Therefore, the Commission has determined, pursuant 
to 10 CFR 51.31, not to prepare an environmental impact statement for 
the proposed amendment.
    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated October 23, 1996, as supplemented by letters 
dated December 11, 1996, January 31, February 10 and 24, March 11 and 
April 4, 1997, which are available for public inspection at the 
Commission's Public Document Room, The Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, 
NW., Washington, DC, and at the local public document room located at 
the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Library, 1001 Broad Street, 
Chattanooga, Tennessee.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of April 1997.

    For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Frederick J. Hebdon,
Director, Project Directorate II-3, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 97-9661 Filed 4-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P