IR 05000254/2025301
| ML26012A141 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Quad Cities  |
| Issue date: | 01/13/2026 |
| From: | Paul Zurawski NRC/RGN-III/DORS/OB |
| To: | Mudrick C Constellation Energy Generation, Constellation Nuclear |
| Nance J. | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML23202A213 | List: |
| References | |
| IR 2025301 | |
| Download: ML26012A141 (0) | |
Text
SUBJECT:
QUAD CITIES NUCLEAR POWER STATION - NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000254/2025301; 05000265/2025301
Dear Christopher H. Mudrick:
On December 18, 2025, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations.
Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on December 12, 2025, with Derek Drockelman, Senior Manager of Site Training and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted via Microsoft Teams on January 9, 2026, between Doug Hild of your staff and James Nance, Operator Licensing Chief Examiner, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the license applicants. During the meeting, the NRC noted there were no post-examination comments submitted by the facility, initially received by the NRC on December 18, 2025.
The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of December 8, 2025. The written examination was administered by Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station training department personnel on December 16, 2025. Seven Senior Reactor Operator and one Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on January 9, 2026. Eight applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Seven were issued senior operator licenses and one was issued an operator license.
The as-administered written examination and operating test, as well as documents related to the development and review (outlines, review comments and resolution, etc.) of the examination will be withheld from public disclosure until December 18, 2027. The enclosure contains details of this report.
January 13, 2026 This letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be made available for public inspection and copying at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the NRC Public Document Room in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.
Sincerely, Paul J. Zurawski, Chief Operations Branch Division of Operating Reactor Safety Docket Nos. 50-254; 50-265 License Nos. DRP-29; DPR-30 Enclosure:
1. Examination Report 05000254/2025301; 05000265/2025301 2. Simulator Fidelity Report cc: Distribution via LISTSERV D. Drockelman, Senior Manager of Site Training Signed by Zurawski, Paul on 01/13/26
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
ER 05000254/2025301; 05000265/2025301; 12/08/2025-12/18/2025; Constellation Nuclear,
Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station. Initial License Examination Report.
The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examiners in accordance with the guidance of NUREG-1021,
Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12.
Examination Summary:
Eight of eight applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Seven applicants were issued senior operator licenses and one applicant was issued an operator license.
(Section 4OA5.1).
REPORT DETAILS
4OA5 Other Activities
.1 Initial Licensing Examinations
a. Examination Scope
The NRC examiners and members of the facility licensees staff used the guidance prescribed in NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12, to develop, validate, administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. The written examination outlines were prepared by the NRC staff and were transmitted to the facility licensees staff. Members of the facility licensees staff developed the operating test outlines and developed the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of October 27, 2025, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited all license applications for accuracy. The NRC examiners administered the operating test, consisting of job performance measures and dynamic simulator scenarios, during the period of December 8, 2025 through December 12, 2025. The facility licensee administered the written examination on December 16, 2025.
b. Findings
- (1) Written Examination The NRC examiners determined that the written examination, as proposed by the licensee, was within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination.
Less than 20 percent of the proposed examination questions were determined to be unsatisfactory and required modification or replacement.
During validation of the written examination, several questions were modified or replaced. All changes made to the proposed written examination, were made in accordance with NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, and documented on Form 2.3-5, Written Examination Review Worksheet.
The Form 2.3-5, the written examination outlines, and both the proposed and final written examinations, will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) on December 18, 2027, (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML23202A212, ML23202A214, ML23202A215, and ML23202A211 respectively).
The NRC examiners graded the written examination on January 2, 2026, and conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and validity of the examination questions. Post-examination analysis revealed generic weaknesses in applicant performance with two Emergency and Abnormal Plant Evolutions, with more than 50 percent of applicants answering incorrectly.
- (2) Operating Test The NRC examiners determined that the operating test, as originally proposed by the licensee, was within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination.
During the validation of the operating test, several Job Performance Measures (JPMs)were modified or replaced, and some modifications were made to the dynamic simulator scenarios. Changes made to the operating test portion of the examination, were made in accordance with NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, and documented on Form 2.3-3, Operating Test Review Worksheet. The Form 2.3-3, the operating test outlines, and both the proposed and final as administered dynamic simulator scenarios and JPMs, will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's ADAMS on December 18, 2027, (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML23202A212, ML23202A214, ML23202A215, and ML23202A211 respectively).
The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on January 8, 2026.
Post-examination analysis revealed generic weaknesses in applicant performance in the areas of applicant compliance with and use of procedures, applicant failure to recognize and attend to off-normal trends and status, including annunciators and alarms, and applicant application of Technical Specifications.
- (3) Examination Results Seven applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) level and one applicant at the Reactor Operator (RO) level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Eight applicants passed all portions of their examinations and were issued their respective operating licenses on January 9, 2026.
.2 Examination Security
a. Scope
The NRC examiners reviewed and observed the licensee's implementation of examination security requirements during the examination validation and administration to assure compliance with Title10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 55.49, Integrity of Examinations and Tests. The examiners used the guidelines provided in NUREG 1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, to determine acceptability of the licensees examination security activities.
b. Findings
None.
4OA6 Meetings
.1 Debrief
The chief examiner presented the examination teams preliminary observations and findings on December 12, 2025, to Derek Drockelman, Senior Manager of Site Training and other members of the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station Operations and Training Department staff.
.2
Exit Meeting
The chief examiner conducted an exit meeting on January 9, 2026, with D. Hild, Site Vice President, by Microsoft Teams. The NRCs final disposition of the stations grading of the written examination and post-examination comments were disclosed and discussed during the telephone. The chief examiner asked the licensee whether any of the retained submitted material used to develop or administer the examination should be considered proprietary. No proprietary or sensitive information was identified during the examination or debrief/exit meetings.
ATTACHMENT:
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
KEY POINTS OF CONTACT
Licensee
- D. Hild, Site Vice President
- C. Burkhart, Regulatory Exam Expert
- D. Drockelman, Senior Manager Site Training
- K. McDonnell, Lead Exam Author
- J. Roos, Facility Operations Representative
- D. Cain, Exam Support
- R. Venci, Exam Support
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- C. Norton, Senior Resident Inspector
- E. Kokkinis, Resident Inspector
- J. Nance, Chief Examiner
- T. Wingfield, Examiner
- P. Gresh, Examiner
ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED
Opened, Closed, and Discussed
SWR 0140101: 901-3 H-2
LIST OF ACRONYMS USED
Agencywide Document Access and Management System
NRC
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Reactor Operator
Senior Reactor Operator
Simulator Work Order
SIMULATION FACILITY FIDELITY REPORT
Facility Licensee:
Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station
Facility Docket No:
50-254; 50-265
Operating Tests Administered:
December 8, 2025 to December 12, 2025
The following documents observations made by the NRC examination team during the initial
operator license examination. These observations do not constitute audit or inspection findings
and are not, without further verification and review, indicative of non-compliance with 10 CFR 55.45(b). These observations do not affect NRC certification or approval of the simulation facility
other than to provide information which may be used in future evaluations. No licensee action is
required in response to these observations.
During the conduct of the simulator portion of the operating tests, the following items were
observed:
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
Alarm 901-3 H-2
was received
unexpectedly
During the JPM being administered to an applicant Alarm 901-3 H-2
was received, unexpectedly. Simulated plant conditions should not
have caused this alarm to activate. Because this condition continued
to present itself the JPM was halted. After several attempts to
diagnose the cause of the alarm the decision was made to replace the
JPM with another JPM with the same Safety Function. The
replacement JPM was validated the next morning and administered to
all applicants the following day.