[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53497-53498]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21901]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2011-0194; Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389]
Florida Power and Light Company; St. Lucie Plant, Units 1 and 2;
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 G, Section IV.A.2, for Facility
Operating License Nos. DPR-67 and NPF-16, issued to Florida Power and
Light Company, et al. (the licensee, FPL), for operation of St. Lucie
Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, located on Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie
County, Florida. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC
performed an environmental assessment. 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 approve an exemption for St. Lucie
Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, from certain requirements of 10 CFR part
50, Appendix G, ``Fracture Toughness Requirements.'' Specifically, the
licensee requests approval of an exemption from the requirements of 10
CFR part 50, Appendix G, Section IV.A.2, ``Pressure-Temperature Limits
and Minimum Temperature Requirements.''
The methodology developed by Combustion Engineering to calculate
reactor coolant system (RCS) pressure-temperature (P-T) curves, heatup
and cooldown limits and low temperature overpressure protection (LTOP)
requirements is documented in topical report CE NPSD-683-A (Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No.
ML011350387). The staff noted in its March 16, 2001 safety evaluation
for this report that: ``The CE [Combustion Engineering] NSSS [nuclear
steam supply system] methodology does not invoke the methods in the
1995 edition of Appendix G to the Code for calculating KIM
factors, and instead applies FEM [finite element modeling] methods for
estimating the KIM factors for the RPV shell * * * Except
for loading inputs, the staff has determined that the KIM
calculation methods apply FEM modeling that is similar to that used for
the determination of the KIT factors. The staff has also
determined that there is only a slight non-conservative difference
between the P-T limits generated from the 1989 edition of Appendix G to
the Code and those generated from CE NSSS methodology as documented in
Evaluation No. 063-PENG-ER-096, Revision 00. The staff considers this
difference to be reasonable and should be consistent with the expected
improvements in P-T generation methods that have been incorporated into
the 1995 edition of Appendix G to the Code. The staff therefore
concludes that the CE NSSS methodology for generating P-T limits is
equivalent to the current methodology in the 1995 edition of Appendix G
to the Code, and is acceptable for P-T limit applications.'' The staff
has extended this conclusion to the Section XI, Appendix G methodology
of Code Editions through the 2004 Edition.
The staff has advised licensees to specify whether membrane stress
intensity factors due to pressure loading, KIM, are
determined by obtaining a closed-form solution (per the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code, Section XI, Appendix G) or
determined by applying finite element modeling methods (per CE NPSD-
683-A, Revision 6). Stress intensity values, KIM, for St.
Lucie, Units 1 and 2 are calculated using the CE NSSS finite element
modeling methods.
The Need for the Proposed Action
FPL is implementing the methodology documented in Topical Report CE
NPSD-683-A to calculate the RCS pressure-temperature curves and LTOP
limits for St. Lucie Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2. This methodology
uses an FEM calculation that, although similar to the ASME Section XI
requirements, is slightly less conservative. Section IV.A.2 of Appendix
G to 10 CFR Part 50 states, ``The pressure-temperature limits
identified as `ASME Appendix G limits' in Table 3 require that the
limits must be at least as conservative as limits obtained by following
the methods of analysis and the margins of safety of Appendix G of
Section XI of the ASME Code.'' Therefore, the use of the methodology
documented in topical report CE NPSD-683-A requires an exemption from
10 CFR part 50, Appendix G, Section IV.A.2, in order to implement that
methodology with a license granted under 10 CFR part 50.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC staff has completed its environmental assessment of the
proposed exemption and has concluded
[[Page 53498]]
that the proposed exemption from the implementation of the requirements
of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix G, Section IV.A.2 would not significantly
affect plant safety and would not have a significant adverse affect on
the probability of occurrence of an accident.
The proposed action would not result in any increased radiological
hazards beyond those previously evaluated by the NRC staff in the
Safety Evaluation Reports, dated November 8 and November 7, 1974,
related to operation of St. Lucie Plant, Units 1 and 2, respectively.
No changes are being made in the types of effluents that may be
released offsite. There is no significant increase in the amount of any
effluent released offsite. There is no significant increase in
occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no
significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the
proposed action.
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 or 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 noticeable effect on socioeconomic conditions in the region.
Therefore, no changes or different types of non-radiological
environmental impacts are expected as a result of the proposed action.
Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
The NRC has previously determined, as stated above, that
methodology documented in CE NPSD-683-A provides similar results as
those produced by the methods in Appendix G of 10 CFR Part 50.
Although, in practice, the exemption allows the licensee to not meet
the requirements of Appendix G, the differences between the two
methodologies are small and the health and safety of the public remain
adequately protected.
The details of the 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.
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 exemption request would result in no change in current
environmental impacts. If the proposed action were denied, the licensee
would have to comply with the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix
G, Section IV.A.2. This would cause unnecessary burden on the licensee,
without a significant benefit in environmental impacts. The
environmental impacts of the proposed exemption and the ``no action''
alternative 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 related to the
St. Lucie Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, dated June 1973; the Final
Environmental Statement related to the operation of St. Lucie Nuclear
Plant, Unit 2 (NUREG-0842), dated April 1982; and, the plant-specific
Supplement 11 to NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement
for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants,'' (GEIS). Supplement 11 of
the GEIS, issued on May 16, 2003, addresses the renewal of operating
licenses DPR-67 and NPF-16 for St. Lucie Plant, Units 1 and 2, for an
additional 20 years of operation.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
In accordance with its stated policy, on August 17, 2011, the NRC
staff consulted with the Florida State official, Mr. William A.
Passetti of the 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 letters dated March 3, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML110660300), and April 28, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML11119A136).
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 documents created or received at the NRC are
accessible electronically through ADAMS in the NRC Library at 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 [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 18th day of August 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Tracy J. Orf,
Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch II-2, Division of Operating
Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2011-21901 Filed 8-25-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P