IR 05000282/2024301
| ML24254A280 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Prairie Island  |
| Issue date: | 09/13/2024 |
| From: | Paul Zurawski NRC/RGN-III/DORS/OB |
| To: | Conboy T Northern States Power Company, Minnesota |
| Henning T. | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22336A011 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML24254A280 (1) | |
Text
SUBJECT:
PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000282/2024301 AND 05000306/2024301
Dear Thomas Conboy:
On August 23, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations.
Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on August 16, 2024, with Michael Peterson, Fleet General Supervisor of Simulators and NRC Exams and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by teleconference on September 6, 2024, between Thomas A. Conboy, Site Vice President and your staff and Troy J. Henning, Chief Operator Licensing Examiner, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the license applicants.
The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of August 12, 2024. The written examination was administered by Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant training department personnel on August 19, 2024. Ten (10) Senior Reactor Operator and five (5) Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on September 5, 2024. Fourteen (14) applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. One (1) applicant was issued a Preliminary Results letter. Nine (9) were issued senior operator licenses and five (5) were issued operator licenses.
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 August 23, 2026. The enclosure contains details of this report.
However, since one (1) applicant received a Preliminary Results letter because of receiving a less than passing grade on one portion of the operating test, the applicant was provided a copy of that portion of the operating test affected. For examination security purposes, your staff should consider those portions of the operating test uncontrolled and exposed to the public.
September 13, 2024 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 Zurawski, Chief Operations Branch Division of Operating Reactor Safety Docket Nos. 50-282; 50-306 License Nos. DPR-42; DPR-60 Enclosure:
1. Examination Report 05000282/2024301; 05000306/2024301 2. Simulator Fidelity Report cc: Distribution via LISTSERV C. Boegeman, Training Director Signed by Zurawski, Paul on 09/13/24
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
ER 05000282/2024301; 05000306/2024301; 08/12/2024 - 08/23/2024; Northern States Power
Company, Minnesota, Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant. Initial License Examination Report.
The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional and program office Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examiners in accordance with the guidance of NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12.
Examination Summary:
Fourteen (14) of fifteen (15) applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations.
Nine (9) applicants were issued senior operator licenses, and five (5) applicants were issued operator licenses. One (1) applicant was issued a Preliminary Results letter for failure of one section of the administered examination. (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 July 8, 2024, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited 15 license applications for accuracy. The NRC examiners, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff, administered the operating test, consisting of job performance measures and dynamic simulator scenarios, during the period of August 12, 2024, through August 16, 2024. The facility licensee administered the written examination on August 19, 2024.
b. Findings
None
- (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 August 23, 2026, (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML22336A010, ML22336A009, ML22336A008, and ML22336A013 respectively).
The NRC examiners graded the written examination on September 3, 2024, 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 one Emergency and Abnormal Plant Evolution, one Plant System, one Senior Reactor Operator Emergency and Abnormal Plant Evolution, and one Senior Reactor Operator Generic Knowledge question 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.
Less than 20 percent of the proposed operating test portion of the examination was determined to be unsatisfactory and required modification or replacement.
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 August 23, 2026, (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML22336A010, ML22336A009, ML22336A008, and ML22336A013 respectively).
The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on September 3, 2024.
Post-examination analysis revealed generic weaknesses in applicant performance in the areas of diagnosis of faulted components from non-faulted components, knowledge / execution of a Functional Restoration Procedure, and Pressurizer Relief Tank flowpaths.
- (3) Examination Results Ten
- (10) applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) level and five
- (5) applicants at the Reactor Operator (RO) level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Fourteen
- (14) applicants passed all portions of their examinations and were issued their respective operating licenses on September 5, 2024. One
- (1) applicant was issued a Preliminary Results letter for failure of the dynamic scenarios section of the administered examination.
.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 team's preliminary observations and findings on August 16, 2024, to Michael Peterson, Fleet General Supervisor of Simulators and NRC Exams and other members of the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Operations and Training Department staff.
.2 Exit Meeting
The chief examiner conducted an exit meeting on September 6, 2024, with Thomas A. Conboy, Site Vice President by teleconference. 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
- T. Conboy, Site Vice President
- M. Peterson, Fleet General Supervisor of Simulators and NRC Exams
- F. Collins, Lead Examination Author
- C. Boegeman, Training Director
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- D. Tesar, Senior Resident Inspector
- K. Pusateri, Resident Inspector
- P. Zurawski, Chief, Operations Branch
- T. Henning, Chief Examiner
- B. Bergeon, Senior Operations Engineer
- T. Iskierka-Boggs, Senior Operations Engineer
- J. Seymour, Senior Reactor Engineer
- M. Scheetz, Reactor Engineer
ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED
Opened, Closed, and Discussed
None
LIST OF ACRONYMS USED
Agencywide Document Access and Management System
NRC
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission technical report designation
Reactor Operator
Senior Reactor Operator
SIMULATION FACILITY FIDELITY REPORT
Facility Licensee:
Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant
Facility Docket No:
50-282; 50-306
Operating Tests Administered:
August 12 - 16, 2024
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
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
One issue was identified regarding an issue which caused some of the
controllers to spike randomly.
I&C was dispatched numerous times to troubleshoot and took time for
those resources to be brought to bear on the issue (no separate
simulator I&C staff on site).
Although this did not affect the specific administration of the simulator
JPMs (nor overall administration of the JPMs), it delayed the schedule,
and the NRC exam team was required to generate workarounds if
these controllers affected plant status.