IR 05000315/2020301
| ML20289A381 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Cook  |
| Issue date: | 10/19/2020 |
| From: | Patricia Pelke NRC/RGN-III/DRS/OLB |
| To: | Gebbie J Indiana Michigan Power Co |
| Reeser D | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19121A508 | List: |
| References | |
| ER 2020301 | |
| Download: ML20289A381 (9) | |
Text
October 19, 2020
SUBJECT:
DONALD C. COOK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000315/2020301; 05000316/2020301
Dear Mr. Gebbie:
On August 25, 2020, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your Donald C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations.
Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on August 13, 2020, with Mr. S. Lies and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by telephone on September 24, 2020, between yourself, members of your staff, and Mr. D. Reeser, Chief Operator Licensing Examiner.
The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of August 3, 2020. The written examination was administered by your training department personnel on August 12, 2020. Ten Senior Reactor Operator and six Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on September 22, 2020. Sixteen applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations and ten were issued senior operator licenses and six were issued operator licenses.
The 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 25, 2022. 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, Section 390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.
Sincerely, Patricia J. Pelke
Digitally signed by Patricia J. Pelke Date: 2020.10.19 16:45:00 -05'00'
Patricia J. Pelke, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety
Docket Nos. 50-315; 50-316 License Nos. DPR-58; DPR-74
Enclosure:
Operator Licensing Examination Report 05000315/2020301; 05000316/2020301
cc: Distribution via LISTSERV D. Emery, Training Manager
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Examination Report 05000315/2020301; 05000316/2020301; 08/03/2020-08/25/2020; Indiana
Michigan Power Company; Donald C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2; Initial License Examination Report.
The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional Nuclear Regulatory Commission examiners in accordance with the guidance in NUREG-1021,
Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 11.
Examination Summary:
Sixteen of sixteen applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations.
Ten applicants were issued senior operator licenses and six applicants were issued operator licenses. (Section 4OA5)
REPORT DETAILS
4OA5 Other Activities
.1 Initial Licensing Examinations
a. Examination Scope
The US. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examiners and members of the facility licensees staff used the guidance prescribed in NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 11, to develop, validate, administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners prepared the written examination outline and members of the facility licensees staff developed the operating test outline, written examination, and operating test. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of July 13, 2020, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited two 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 3, 2020, through August 8, 2020. The facility licensee administered the written examination on August 12, 2020.
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.
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 ES-401-9, Written Examination Review Worksheet. The Form ES-401-9, the written examination outlines (Forms ES-401-1 and ES-401-3), 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 25, 2022, (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML19121A507, ML19121A510, ML19121A511, and ML19121A512, respectively).
On August 25, 2020, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there were no post-examination comments for consideration by the NRC examiners when grading the written examination.
The NRC examiners graded the written examinations on August 26, 2020, and conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and validity of the examination questions.
- (2) Operating Test
The NRC examiners determined that the operating test materials, as proposed by the licensee, failed to meet the NRCs expectations for a proposed examination.
More than 20 percent of the proposed operating test materials were determined to be unsatisfactory and required modification or replacement; additional attention in this area is warranted.
NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Appendix C, Job Performance Measure Guidelines, provides the framework for preparing and evaluating Job Performance Measures (JPMs). Contrary to these guidelines, several JPMs:
- (1) failed to clearly identify the overall task standard (i.e., the predetermined qualitative or quantitative outcome) against which the task performance was to be measured;
- (2) failed to correctly identify the procedure steps that were critical steps (i.e., procedure steps that must be performed accurately and in the correct sequence); or
- (3) failed to provide clear and accurate performance standards for evaluating successful completion of the procedure steps required to complete the task.
Two JPMs (one Reactor Operator and one Senior Reactor Operator) included information in the JPMs Initial Conditions that provided inappropriate cues toward successful completion of the task. One JPM had to be replaced because the necessary pictorial cue did not provide sufficient detail to successfully complete the task.
NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, ES-301, Preparing Initial Operating Tests, and Appendix D, Simulator Testing Guidelines, provide the framework for preparing and evaluating Simulator Scenarios.
While none of the scenarios were determined to be unsatisfactory, all the scenarios required numerous enhancements to allow consistent and accurate evaluation of applicant performance.
All changes made to the operating test were made in accordance with NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, and were documented on Form ES-301-7, Operating Test Review Worksheet. The operating test outlines and worksheets, the proposed operating test and worksheets, as well as the final Form ES-301-7, and the final as-administered operating test, will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRCs ADAMS on August 25, 2022, (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML19121A510, ML19121A511, ML19121A507, and ML19121A512, respectively).
The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on September 22, 2020.
- (3) Examination Results
Ten applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator level and six applicants at the Reactor Operator level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Sixteen applicants passed all portions of their examinations and were issued their respective operating licenses on September 22, 2020.
.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, Part 55, Section 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 Management Meetings
.1 Debrief
The chief examiner presented the examination teams preliminary observations and findings on August 13, 2020, to Mr. S. Lies, Site Vice President, and other members of the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant staff.
.2 Exit Meeting
A telephone exit meeting was conducted on September 24, 2020, by Mr. D. Reeser, Operator Licensing Chief Examiner with Mr. J. Gebbie, Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer, and other members of the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant staff.
The final grading of the examination was discussed, and the NRC reaffirmed the need for the licensee to provide additional attention to the development and review of the submitted examination materials. The examiner asked the licensee whether any of the 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
- J. Gebbie, Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer
- K. Ferneau, Plant Manager
- M. Scarpello, Regulatory Affairs Director
- K. Harper, Regulatory Affairs
- S. Schneider, Operations Director
- D. Emery, Training Manager
- T. Kasper, Operations Training Manager
- A. Gardener, Operations Training Supervisor
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- P. Zurawski, Senior Resident Inspector
- J. Mancuso, Resident Inspector
- D. Reeser, Chief Examiner
- D. Bacon, Examiner
- R. Baker, Examiner
- B. Litkett, Examiner
- C. Zoia, Examiner
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
Attachment