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Virginia Electric and Power Company; Issuance of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Regarding the Proposed Amendment To Revise Technical Specifications of License No. SNM-2501

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 [Federal Register: July 3, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 128)]
[Notices]
[Page 41108]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03jy00-127]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket 72-2]


Virginia Electric and Power Company; Issuance of Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact Regarding the Proposed
Amendment To Revise Technical Specifications of License No. SNM-2501

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is
considering issuance of an amendment, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.56, to the
Special Nuclear Materials License No. 2501 (SNM-2501) held by Virginia
Electric and Power Company (Virginia Power) for the Surry independent
spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI). The requested amendment would
revise the Technical Specifications of SNM-2501 to specifically permit
the continued storage of burnable poison rod assemblies (BPRA) and
thimble plug devices (TPD) within the CASTOR V/21, NAC I28, and
Westinghouse MC-10 casks used at the Surry ISFSI.

Environmental Assessment (EA)

    Identification of Proposed Action: By letter dated April 5, 1999,
as supplemented on February 29, 2000, Virginia Power requested an
amendment to revise the Technical Specifications of SNM-2501 for the
Surry ISFSI. The changes would specifically permit the continued
storage of BPRAs and/or TPDs within the CASTOR V/21, NAC I28, and
Westinghouse MC-10 dry storage casks used at the Surry ISFSI.
    Need for the Proposed Action: The proposed action will eliminate
the need to physically remove BPRAs and TPDs from irradiated fuel
assemblies in order for dry cask storage to continue under the present
technical specifications of the license.
    Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: The NRC has completed
its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes that granting the
request for an amendment to specifically allow the continued storage of
BPRAs and TPDs within the CASTOR V/21, NAC I28, and Westinghouse MC-10
casks used at the Surry ISFSI will not increase the probability or
consequences of accidents. No changes are being made in the types of
any effluents that may be released off site. With regard to
radiological impacts, the addition of irradiated BPRAs and TPDs only
affects the gamma source term of the cask. For this amendment, Virginia
Power's calculated increase in surface dose rate resulting from the
added BPRAs and TPDs remains within the bounds of the currently
approved dose rate limit and, consequently, results in no significant
increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Additionally,
the applicant made physical dose rate measurements of casks currently
loaded with BPRAs and TPDs, and they are less than the calculated dose
rates. The measured increase in the surface dose rate remains within
the bounds of the currently approved dose rate limit. Therefore, there
are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with
the proposed action.
    The amendment only affects the requirements associated with the
content of the casks and does not affect non-radiological plant
effluents or any other aspects of the environment. Therefore, there are
no significant non-radiological environmental impacts associated with
the proposed action.
    Accordingly, the Commission concludes that there are no significant
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
    Alternative to the Proposed Action: The alternative to the proposed
action would be to deny the request for an amendment (i.e., the ``no-
action'' alternative). Denial of the proposed action would result in
the need to physically remove BPRAs and TPDs from each fuel assembly
possessing them prior to continuing dry cask storage. Physical removal
of irradiated BPRAs and TPDs would increase the exposure time and dose
to the plant workers. In addition, it would require disposal or storage
of additional radioactive material (i.e., BPRAs and TPDs) that would
otherwise be safely stored if the BPRAs and TPDs are left intact with
their irradiated fuel assembly. The environmental impacts of the
alternative action are greater than the proposed action.
    Given that there are greater environmental impacts associated with
the alternative action of denying the approval for an amendment, the
Commission concludes that the preferred alternative is to grant this
amendment.
    Agencies and Persons Consulted: On September 27, 1999, Mr. Les
Foldese of the Virginia Department of Health, Bureau of Radiological
Health, was contacted in regard to the proposed action and had no
concerns.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The environmental impacts of the proposed action have been reviewed
in accordance with the requirements set forth in 10 CFR part 51. Based
upon the foregoing Environmental Assessment, the Commission finds that
the proposed action of granting an amendment to permit the continued
storage of BPRAs and TPDs within the CASTOR V/21, NAC I28, and
Westinghouse MC-10 casks used at the Surry ISFSI will not significantly
impact the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the
Commission has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement for the proposed exemption.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the amendment
application dated April 5, 1999, as supplemented on February 29, 2000.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's ``Rules of Practice,'' a
copy of this letter and its enclosure will be available electronically
for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the
Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's document system
(ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://
www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day of June 2000.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
E. William Brach,
Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 00-16730 Filed 6-30-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7890-01-P

 
 

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