[Federal Register: July 23, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 141)]
[Notices]
[Page 38328-38329]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23jy01-121]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-400]
Carolina Power & Light Company; Shearon Harris Nuclear Power
Plant; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering
issuance of an exemption from 10 CFR 55.59(a) for Facility Operating
License No. NPF-63, issued to Carolina Power & Light Company (the
licensee), for operation of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Station,
Unit 1 (HNP), located in Wake and Chatham Counties, North Carolina.
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
The proposed action would allow the licensed operator
requalification examinations for HNP to be rescheduled. The requested
exemption would extend the completion date for the examinations from
December 31, 2001, to March 31, 2002.
The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee's
application dated January 19, 2001, as supplemented by letter dated May
7, 2001.
The Need for the Proposed Action
The proposed action would extend the current HNP requalification
program from December 31, 2001, to March 31, 2002. HNP is scheduled to
be in extended shutdown for refueling, steam generator replacement, and
power uprate modifications during the end period of the current
requalification cycle and when the full annual examination
(comprehensive written examination and annual operating test) would
need to be given. The licensee has stated that based on the training
required for the new site procedures, modifications of the simulator to
support outage modifications, training prior to the outage, and the
implementation of the extended outage, the ability to complete the full
annual examination within the 24-month requalification cycle is not
possible.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and
concludes that there are no environmental impacts associated with the
extension of the operator requalification examinations from December
31, 2001, to March 31, 2002. The proposed action will not significantly
increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are
being made in the types or amounts of effluents that may be released
off site, and there is no significant increase in occupational or
public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant
radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.
With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed
action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does
not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other
environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non-
radiological 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
This action does not involve the use of any different resource than
those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for
HNP.
Agencies and Persons Consulted
On June 29, 2001, the staff consulted with the North Carolina State
official, Mr. Johnny James, of the Division of Radiation Protection,
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 January 19, 2001, as supplemented by letter
dated May 7, 2001. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee,
at the NRC's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville Pike
[[Page 38329]]
(first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be
accessible electronically from the ADAMS Public Library component on
the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov (the Public Electronic Reading
Room). If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public
Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737,
or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of July 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
N. Kalyanam,
Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate II, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-18327 Filed 7-20-01; 8:45 am]
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