[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 198 (Thursday, October 14, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63213-63214]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-25878]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-282 and 50-306; NRC-2010-0324]


Northern States Power Company--Minnesota; Prairie Island Nuclear 
Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding 
of No Significant Impact

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the 
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations, (10 CFR), 50.46, ``Acceptance criteria for emergency core 
cooling systems for light-water nuclear power reactors'', and 10 CFR 
50, Appendix K, ``AECCS Evaluation Models,'' for Facility Operating 
License Nos. DPR-42 and DPR-60, issued to Northern States Power 
Company, a Minnesota corporation (NSPM, the licensee), for operation of 
the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2 (PINGP), 
located in Goodhue County, Minnesota. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, 
the NRC performed an environmental assessment in support of this 
requested exemption. Based on the results of the environmental 
assessment, the NRC is issuing a finding of no significant impact.

Environmental Assessment

Identification of the Proposed Action

    The proposed action would consider approval of an exemption for 
PINGP to the requirements of 10 CFR 50.46 and 10 CFR Appendix K, by 
allowing NSPM to use Optimized ZIRLO<SUP>TM</SUP>, an advanced alloy 
fuel cladding material for pressurized-water reactors. The proposed 
action is in accordance with the licensee's application dated November 
24, 2009 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) 
Accession No. ML093280883), as supplemented by letter dated May 26, 
2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML101480083).

[[Page 63214]]

The Need for the Proposed Action

    The proposed action is needed so that NSPM can use Optimized 
ZIRLO<SUP>TM</SUP>, an advanced alloy for fuel rod cladding and other 
assembly structural components at the PINGP.
    Section 50.46 of 10 CFR and 10 CFR part 50, Appendix K, make no 
provisions for use of fuel rods clad in a material other than zircaloy 
or ZIRLO<SUP>TM</SUP>. Since the chemical composition of the Optimized 
ZIRLO<SUP>TM</SUP> alloy differs from the specifications for zircaloy 
or ZIRLO<SUP>TM</SUP>, a plant-specific exemption is required to allow 
the use of the Optimized ZIRLO<SUP>TM</SUP> alloy as a cladding 
material or in other assembly structural components at the PINGP.

Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action

    The NRC has completed its environmental assessment of the proposed 
exemption. The staff has concluded that the proposed action to approve 
the use of an additional fuel rod cladding material would not 
significantly affect plant safety and would not have a significant 
adverse effect on the probability of an accident occurring.
    The NRC staff's safety evaluation will be provided in the exemption 
that will be issued as part of the letter to the licensee approving the 
exemption to the regulation, if granted.
    The proposed action would not result in an increased radiological 
hazard beyond those previously analyzed in the Final Environmental 
Statement for the PINGP dated May 1973 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML081840311). There will be no change to radioactive effluents that 
affect radiation exposures to plant workers and members of the public. 
Therefore, no changes or different types of radiological impacts are 
expected as a result of the proposed exemption.
    The proposed action does not result in changes to land use or water 
use, or result in changes to the quality or quantity of non-
radiological effluents. No changes to the National Pollution Discharge 
Elimination System permit are needed. No effects on the aquatic or 
terrestrial habitat in the vicinity of the plant, or to threatened, 
endangered, or protected species under the Endangered Species Act, or 
impacts to essential fish habitat covered by the Magnuson-Stevens Act 
are expected. There are no impacts to the air or ambient air quality. 
There are no impacts to historical and cultural resources. There would 
be no impact to socioeconomic resources. Therefore, no changes to or 
different types of non-radiological environmental impacts are expected 
as a result of the proposed exemption.
    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 request 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 resources than 
those considered in the Final Environmental Statement for the PINGP 
dated May 1973 (ADAMS Accession No. ML081840311).

Agencies and Persons Consulted

    In accordance with its stated policy, on September 3, 2010, the 
staff consulted with the Minnesota State official, Mr. Stephen Rakow of 
the Minnesota Office of Energy Security, 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 Information

    For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the 
licensee's letter dated November 24, 2009 (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML093280883), as supplemented by letter dated May 26, 2010 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML101480083). Documents may be examined, and/or copied 
for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One 
White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first 
floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be 
accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the 
Internet at the NRC Web site, http://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 PDR 
Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or send 
an e-mail to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#374753451945524458424554527759455419505841"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e9998d9bc79b8c9a869c9b8a8ca9879b8ac78e869f">[email protected]</span></a>.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day of September 2010.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas J. Wengert,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-1, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2010-25878 Filed 10-13-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


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