Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 103 / Friday, May 29, 1998 / Notices 29461

N.W., Washington, D.C., and at the local

public document room located at the

Phoenix Public Library, 1221 N. Central

Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85004.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day

of May 1998.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Jack N. Donohew,

Senior Project Manager, Project Directorate

IV–1, Division of Reactor Projects III/IV, Office

of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

[FR Doc. 98–14240 Filed 5–28–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50–285]

Omaha Public Power District, Fort

Calhoun Station, Unit No. 1; Exemption

I

Omaha Public Power District (OPPD)

is the holder of Facility Operating

License No. DPR–40 for the Fort

Calhoun Station, Unit No. 1 (FCS)

which authorizes operation of the Fort

Calhoun Station, Unit No. 1. The license

provides, among other things, that the

licensee is subject to all rules,

regulations, and orders of the

Commission now or hereafter in effect.

The facility consists of one

pressurized-water reactor at the

licensee’s site located in Washington

County, Nebraska.

II

By letter dated September 30, 1997, as

supplemented by letters dated January

29, 1998, and April 23, 1998, the

licensee requested an exemption from

certain requirements from 10 CFR Part

50, Appendix R, Section III.O, for the

Fort Calhoun Station. Section III.O of

Appendix R to 10 CFR Part 50, requires

that the reactor coolant pump (RCP)

shall be equipped with an oil collection

system if the containment is not inerted

during normal operation. The oil

collection system shall be so designed,

engineered and installed that failure

will not lead to fire during normal or

design basis accident conditions and

that there is reasonable assurance that

the system will withstand the safe

shutdown earthquake.

III

Section 50.12(a) of 10 CFR, ‘‘Specific

exemptions,’’ states that * * *

The Commission may, upon application by

any interested person, or upon its own

initiative, grant exemptions from the

requirements of the regulations of this part,

which are (1) Authorized by law, will not

present an undue risk to the public health

and safety, and are consistent with the

common defense and security. (2) The

Commission will not consider granting an

exemption unless special circumstances are

present.

Section 50.12(a)(2)(ii) of 10 CFR Part

50 states that special circumstances are

present when ‘‘Application of the

regulation in the particular

circumstances would not serve the

underlying purpose of the rule or is not

necessary to achieve the underlying

purpose of the rule * * *.’’ The

underlying purpose of 10 CFR Part 50,

Appendix R, Section III.O, is to ensure

that leaking oil will not lead to a fire

that could damage safety related

equipment during normal or design

basis accident conditions. As

documented in a Safety Evaluation

dated May 21, 1998, the NRC staff

concluded that for RCP RC–3B an oil

collection system is not needed to

satisfy the underlying purpose of

Section III.O of Appendix R for:

(1) the unpressurized upper bearing

cooling water penetrations located 3.15′′

above the normal oil level,

(2) the unpressurized lower bearing

component cooling water penetrations

located 1′′ above the normal oil level,

(3) the unpressurized vent line on the

lower bearing resistance temperature

detector (RTD) located 2.4′′ above the

normal oil level,

(4) the unpressurized upper bearing

RTD located 10′′ above the normal oil

level, and

(5) the unpressurized lower bearing

oil level transmitter line.

Accordingly, the Commission has

determined that special circumstances

are present as defined in 10 CFR

50.12(a)(2)(ii).

As further documented in the Safety

Evaluation dated May 21, 1998, the staff

also concluded that an exemption is not

needed for:

(1) the motor cooling air vents of RCP

RC–3B,

(2) the anti-rotation device air vents

and the motor cooling air vents of the

remaining RCPs, or

(3) the lack of a flash arrester for the

RCP oil collection system vent.

IV

The Commission has determined that,

pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, an exemption

in connection with the five

unpressurized sites above regarding RCP

RC–3B is authorized by law, will not

present an undue risk to public health

and safety and is consistent with the

common defense and security. Also, as

stated above, the Commission has

determined that special circumstances

are present. Therefore, the Commission

hereby grants Omaha Public Power

District an exemption from the

requirements of Section III.O of

Appendix R to 10 CFR Part 50 regarding

the unpressurized leakage sites in the

RCP lube oil collection system

discussed herein.

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the

Commission has determined that the

granting of this exemption will not have

a significant effect on the quality of the

human environment (63 FR 26653).

This exemption is effective upon

issuance.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day

of May, 1998.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Samuel J. Collins,

Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation.

[FR Doc. 98–14241 Filed 5–28–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P

NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50–397]

Washington Public Power Supply

System; Notice of Issuance of

Amendment to Facility Operating

License

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (Commission) has issued

Amendment No. to Facility Operating

License No. NPF–21 issued to

Washington Public Power Supply

System (the licensee), for operation of

the Washington Nuclear Project No. 2

(WNP–2), located in Benton County,

Washington.

The amendment is effective as of the

date of issuance.

The amendment revises the maximum

yield strength for emergency core

cooling system suction strainer

materials listed in the WNP–2 Final

Safety Analysis Report (FSAR).

The application for the amendment

complies with the standards and

requirements of the Atomic Energy Act

of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the

Commission’s rules and regulations.

The Commission has made appropriate

findings as required by the Act and the

Commission’s rules and regulations in

10 CFR Chapter I, which are set forth in

the license amendment.

Notice of Consideration of Issuance of

Amendment and Opportunity for

Hearing in connection with this action

was published in the Federal Register

on April 21, 1998 (63 FR 19758). No

request for a hearing or petition for

leave to intervene was filed following

this notice.

The Commission has prepared an

Environmental Assessment related to