[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 240 (Monday, December 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69728-69729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30860]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-335]
Florida Power and Light Company; St. Lucie Plant, Unit No. 1,
Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.d for
Facility Operating License No. DPR-67, issued to Florida Power and
Light Company (the licensee), for operation of the St. Lucie Plant,
Unit No. 1, located in St. Lucie County, Florida. Therefore, as
required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this environmental
assessment and finding of no significant impact.
Environmental Assessment
Identification of the Proposed Action
Pursuant to 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.d, cables
and equipment and associated nonsafety circuits of redundant trains
located inside noninerted containments are required to be separated by
a horizontal distance of more than 20 feet with no intervening
combustibles or fire hazards. The proposed action would allow a minimum
horizontal separation of 7 feet between redundant cable trays with no
intervening combustibles in the containment annular region between
column lines 2 and 6.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated October 4, 2000, as supplemented by letters dated
June 28, 2001, November 29, 2001, May 15, 2002 and October 22, 2002.
The Need for the Proposed Action
On February 21, 1985, the NRC staff approved an exemption from 10
CFR part 50, Appendix R, Section III.G.2.d, to allow cables of
redundant trains inside the St. Lucie Unit 1 containment building to be
located less than 20 feet
[[Page 69729]]
apart horizontally. On March 5, 1987, the NRC staff approved a revision
to this exemption to allow minimal intermittent combustibles between
the redundant trains. The staff approved the exemptions based, in part,
on the redundant trains being separated by more than 7 feet
horizontally and 25 feet vertically. The licensee subsequently
determined that the assumption of 25 feet vertical separation was
incorrect. The proposed action would revise the exemption to eliminate
the vertical separation assumption. The licensee provided a fire hazard
assessment utilizing a detailed fire model to demonstrate that, with
the existing vertical separation and a minimum of 7 feet horizontal
separation, a fire in one train will not damage the redundant train.
The revised request limits the exemption to the cable trays in the
containment annular region between radial column lines 2 and 6 and
permits no intervening combustibles.
In summary, the exemption would be revised to allow separation of
cables of redundant trains by a horizontal distance of at least 7 feet
with no intervening combustibles inside containment in the annular
region between radial column lines 2 and 6.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation and concludes, as set forth
below, that there are no significant environmental impacts associated
with the proposed exemption. The details of the staff's safety
evaluation will be provided with the exemption when it is issued by the
NRC.
The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability
or consequences of accidents, there are no significant changes in the
types or significant increase in the quantities of effluents that may
be released offsite, and there is no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation exposure.
With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does
not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant
nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed
action.
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 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 previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement
related to the St. Lucie Plant Unit 1, dated June 1973 and Supplement
11 to NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License
Renewal of Nuclear Plants Regarding St. Lucie, Units 1 and 2,'' dated
May 2003.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On November 3, 2003, the staff consulted with the Florida State
official, Mr. William Passetti of the Department of Health, Bureau of
Radiation Control, 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.
For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the
licensee's letter dated October 23, 2002, as supplemented on August 28,
2003. 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 O1F21, 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 at 1-800-
397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of December 2003.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Allen G. Howe,
Chief, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of Licensing Project
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 03-30860 Filed 12-12-03; 8:45 am]
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