Environmental Impact Statement: Proposed Conversion of the Tennessee Valley Authority Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY

Environmental Impact Statement: Proposed Conversion of the

Tennessee Valley Authority Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed conversion and

operation of the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant as a fossil-

fueled power plant. Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant is located near the

cities of Hollywood and Scottsboro in northeast Alabama. The proposed

action would undertake conversion, modification and addition of

equipment; the construction of new facilities; and the subsequent

operation of the Bellefonte facility as a fossil-fueled power plant

with an approximate electric capacity between 450 megawatts (MW) and

3,000 MW, dependent on the conversion alternative selected. Fossil

fuels to be considered are natural gas, coal, and petroleum

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coke. Plant conversion technologies to be considered in detail include

coal gasification, combustion turbine combined cycle, pressurized

fluidized bed combustion, and chemical coproduction.

The Department of Energy (DOE) will act as a cooperating agency for

development and review of the environmental impact statement to the

extent that the proposed site could be a demonstration site for

technologies, such as integrated gasification combined cycle modules

and advanced combustion turbines.

The ownership and operation of some facilities at Bellefonte may

include entities in addition to TVA under some alternatives.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the EIS must be postmarked no later

than May 29, 1996. TVA plans to conduct a public meeting in the

vicinity of the Bellefonte plant in May 1996 to discuss the project and

to obtain comments on the scope of the EIS. The time and location of

this meeting will be announced in local news media.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Dale Wilhelm, National

Environmental Policy Act Liaison, Tennessee Valley Authority, mail stop

WT 8C, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499.

Comments may also be e-mailed to [email protected]va.attmail.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Roy Carter, Environmental Research Center, Tennessee Valley Authority,

mail stop CEB 4C, Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35662-1010. E-mail may be sent

to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Construction began on TVA's Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in 1974. The

plant is a pressurized water reactor design with two units. The nuclear

steam supply system was designed and supplied by Babcock & Wilcox, Inc.

A final EIS was issued for the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in 1974.

Completion of construction was deferred in 1988 because TVA power

system requirements grew slower than projected.

TVA's Integrated Resource Plan

TVA's integrated resource plan and programmatic environmental

impact statement, Energy Vision 2020, was completed in December 1995.

Energy Vision 2020 contains recommendations for meeting the future TVA

power system capacity requirements. The short-term action plan of

Energy Vision 2020 recommended the following concerning the unfinished

Bellefonte Nuclear Plant: ``Converting the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant to

a combined cycle plant utilizing natural gas or gasified coal as the

primary fuel has been identified as one of the most viable

alternatives. Such an alternative provides the opportunity to utilize a

substantial portion of the Bellefonte non-nuclear plant equipment.

However, there is a degree of uncertainty and market risk associated

with this alternative which requires further in-depth engineering and

financial examination.''

Conversion Alternatives

The conversion alternatives expected to be addressed in this EIS

are described below:

Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion (PFBC)

The PFBC alternative would consist of 8 modules, each consisting of

one PFBC unit, one advanced combustion turbine, and one heat recovery

steam generator (HRSG). The steam produced by the 8 modules would be

routed to Bellefonte's existing steam turbine-generator systems. The

net electric output of this alternative is expected to be 2,400 MW.

Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC)

The NGCC alternative would consist of 8 to 10 modules, each

consisting of one combustion turbine and one HRSG. The steam produced

would be routed to Bellefonte's existing steam turbine-generator

systems. The net electric output of this alternative is expected to be

2,600 MW.

Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)

The IGCC alternative would consist of 8 modules, each consisting of

one coal gasification plant, one advanced combustion turbine, and one

HRSG. The steam produced would be routed to Bellefonte's existing steam

turbine-generator systems. The net electric output of this alternative

is expected to be 2,720 MW.

Integrated Gasification Combined cycle (IGCC) With Chemical

Coproduction

This alternative would consist of 4 coal gasification plants, one

advanced combustion turbine, one HRSG, and chemical production plants.

Approximately 70 percent of the synthesis gas produced by the 4 coal

gasification plants would be routed to the chemical production plants.

The remaining synthesis gas would serve the combustion turbine. The net

electric output of this alternative is expected to be 450 MW.

Combination NGCC and IGCC Alternative

This alternative would combine the configuration of NGCC and IGCC

with chemical coproduction in a phased manner. The first phase of this

alternative would consist of a 335 MW NGCC demonstration module

consisting of one natural gas-fired advanced combustion turbine and one

HRSG. The steam produced would be routed to Bellefonte's existing steam

turbine-generator system (unit 2). In the next phase, a 340 MW IGCC

facility would be constructed. This IGCC facility would consist of one

coal gasification unit, one advanced combustion turbine, and a HRSG.

The steam produced would be routed to the existing steam turbine-

generator (unit 2). After construction of the IGCC facility, an IGCC

chemical coproduction facility may be constructed. The coproduction

facility would consist of 3 coal gasification units and related

chemical production plants. Excess steam would be routed to the

existing steam turbine-generator system (unit 2). Net electric output

at the end of this phase would be 785 MW. In the final phase, an NGCC

facility would be added. This facility would consist of 5 to 8 natural

gas-fired modules each consisting of one advanced combustion turbine

and one HRSG. The steam produced would be routed to the other existing

steam turbine-generator system (unit 1). Net electric output at the end

of this final phase is expected to be approximately 2,600 MW.

Other Conversion Alternatives to be Considered

Certain emerging technologies may also be addressed as possible

conversion alternatives. For example, the use of natural gas fired

heaters to supply either high temperature pressurized water or a high

temperature heat transfer fluid to the existing nuclear steam supply

system steam generators may be analyzed. The use of a coal refinery as

a companion process to gasification may also be analyzed. The coal

refinery process would produce chemical products and supply char to an

integrated gasification combined cycle process.

No Action Alternative

As discussed in TVA's Integrated Resource Plan, the no action

alternative to conversion of Bellefonte to a fossil-fuel power plant

would be the continued deferral of the Bellefonte plant. TVA would

continue to explore entering into arrangements with outside entities to

complete these units as

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nuclear facilities in partnership with TVA. Further environmental

review, if any, beyond the existing final EIS for Bellefonte Nuclear

Units 1 and 2 for operation as a nuclear facility would coincide with

consideration of such a proposed arrangement.

Proposed Issues to be Addressed

The EIS will describe the existing environmental, cultural, and

recreational resources that may be potentially affected by construction

and operation of the project. TVA's evaluation of potential

environmental impacts due to project construction and operation will

include, but not necessarily be limited to the impacts on air quality,

water quality, aquatic ecology, endangered and threatened species,

wetland resources, aesthetics and visual resources, noise, land use,

cultural resources, fuel transportation, and socioeconomic resources.

TVA's Integrated Resource Plan, Energy Vision 2020, identifies and

evaluates TVA's need for additional energy resources.

Air quality will likely be one of the most important potential

impact areas. Air pollutant emissions from fossil fuel combustion would

include nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon

dioxide. Because the proposed project is to be located on a previously

disturbed site, the issues of terrestrial wildlife, vegetation, and

land use are not likely to be important.

Natural gas is one of the candidate conversion fuels. However,

there is currently no supply of natural gas in the vicinity of the

Bellefonte plant. Therefore, the EIS will assess the construction and

operation of a natural gas pipeline by considering several alternative

pipeline corridors.

The results from evaluating the potential environmental impacts

related to these issues and other important issues identified in the

scoping process together with engineering and economic considerations

will be used in selecting a preferred alternative for the Bellefonte

conversion.

Scoping Process

Scoping, which is integral to the NEPA process, is a procedure that

solicits public input to the EIS process to ensure that: (1) Issues are

identified early and properly studied; (2) issues of title significance

do not consume time and effort; (3) the draft EIS is thorough and

balanced; and (4) delays caused by an inadequate draft EIS are avoided.

TVA's NEPA procedures require that the scoping process commence as soon

as practicable after a decision has been reached to prepare an EIS in

order to provide an early and open process for determining the scope of

issues to be addressed and for identifying the significant issues

related to a proposed action. The scope of issues to be addressed in a

draft EIS will be determined, in part, from written comments submitted

by mail, and comments presented orally or in writing at a public

meeting. The preliminary identification of reasonable alternatives and

environmental issues is not meant to be exhaustive or final. TVA

considers the scoping process to be open and dynamic in the sense that

alternatives other than those given above may warrant study and new

matters may be identified for potential evaluation.

The scoping process will include both interagency and public

scoping. The public is invited to submit written comments or e-mail

comments on the scope of this EIS no later than the date given under

the DATES section of this notice and/or attend a public meeting in May

that will be announced in area news media. Federal and state agencies

to be included in the interagency scoping include U.S. Department of

Energy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and Alabama Historical

Commission.

Upon consideration of the scoping comments, TVA will develop a

range of alternatives and identify important environmental issues to be

addressed in the EIS. Following analysis of the environmental

consequences of each alternative, TVA will prepare a draft EIS for

public review and comment. Notice of availability of the draft EIS will

be announced, written comments on the draft solicited, and information

about possible public meetings to comment on the draft EIS will be

published at a future date. TVA expects to release a final EIS by

October 1997.

Dated: April 23, 1996.

Kathryn J. Jackson,

Senior Vice President, Resource Group.

[FR Doc. 96-10515 Filed 4-26-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8120-01-M