IR 05000346/2013301

Er 05000346/13-301, 06/03/2013 - 06/20/2013, Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Initial License Examination Report

ML13199A082
Person / Time
Site:	Davis Besse
Issue date:	07/17/2013
From:	Hironori Peterson Operations Branch III
To:	Lieb R FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co
Shared Package
ML12356A197	List: IR 05000346/2013301 ML12356A201 ML13148A467 ML13231A201
References
50-346/13-301
Download: ML13199A082 (10)

Text

uly 17, 2013

SUBJECT:

DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000346/2013301

Dear Mr. Lieb:

On June 20, 2013, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations.

Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on June 7, 2013, with Mr. J. Cuff, Training Manager, and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by telephone on June 28, 2013, between Mr. B. Boles, Director, Site Operations, and Mr. M. Bielby, Chief Operator Licensing Examiner, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the license applicants. During the telephone conversation, the NRC confirmed receipt of the station-submitted post-examination documentation on June 20, 2013, noting that there were no post-examination comments.

The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of June 3, 2013. The written examination was administered by Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station training department personnel on June 10, 2013. Six Senior Reactor Operator and four Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on July 11, 2013. Ten applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations and five were issued Senior Operator Licenses and four were issued Operator Licenses. In accordance with NRC policy, the license for the one remaining Senior Reactor Operator applicant is being withheld pending certification by the facility that the applicant has fully satisfied the six months on-site experience requirement that was deferred until after completion of the examination.

The written examination and other related written examination documentation will be withheld from public disclosure for 24 months per your request. In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 2.390 of the NRC's

"Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and its enclosures will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Sincerely,

/RA/

Hironori Peterson, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Docket No. 50-346 License No. NPF-3

Enclosures:

1. Operator Licensing Examination Report 05000346/2013301 w/Attachment: Supplemental Information 2. Simulation Facility Report

REGION III==

Docket No: 50-346 License No: NPF-3 Report No: 05000346/2013301 Licensee: FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Facility: Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Location: Oak Harbor, OH Dates: June 3 - June 20, 2013 Inspectors: M. Bielby, Chief Operator Licensing Examiner D. Reeser, Operator Licensing Examiner C. Zoia, Operator Licensing Examiner Approved by: H. Peterson, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety Enclosure 1

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

ER 05000346/2013301; 06/03/2013 - 06/20/2013; FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company;

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station; Initial License Examination Report.

The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examiners in accordance with the guidance of NUREG-1021,

Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 9, Supplement 1.

Examination Summary:

Ten of ten applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Five applicants were issued Senior Operator Licenses and four applicants were issued Operator Licenses. The license for the remaining applicant is being held pending certification by the facility that the applicant has fully satisfied the six months on-site experience requirement that was deferred until after completion of the 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 9-Supplement 1, to develop, validate, administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. Members of the facility licensees staff prepared the outline and developed the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of February 4, 2013, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited three 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 (JPMs) and dynamic simulator scenarios, during the period of June 3 through June 7, 2013. The facility licensee administered the written examination on June 10, 2013.

b. Findings

(1) Written Examination The NRC examiners determined that the written examination, as proposed by the licensee, failed to meet the NRCs expectations for a proposed examination. More than 20 percent of the proposed examination questions for the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) were determined to be unsatisfactory and required modification or replacement; additional attention in this area is warranted. Seven of the SRO questions required significant modification or replacement. As written, the questions contained elements in the answer and/or distracters that could be answered based on Reactor Operator (RO) knowledge. As such, these questions were not considered SRO Only questions. 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, which is available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS).

On June 20, 2013, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there were no post-examination comments for consideration by the NRC examiners when grading the written examination. The final as-administered written examination and answer key (ADAMS Accession Number ML13179A132), will be available in 24 months electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's ADAMS.

The NRC examiners graded the written examination on June 21, 2013, 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, as originally proposed by the licensee, was within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination.

Changes made to the operating test, documented in a document titled, Operating Test Comments, as well as the final as-administered dynamic simulator scenarios and JPMs, are available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's ADAMS.

The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on July 11, 2013.

(3) Examination Results Six applicants at the SRO level and four applicants at the RO level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Ten applicants passed all portions of their examinations and nine were issued their respective operating licenses on July 12, 2013.

In accordance with NRC policy, the licenses for the remaining Senior Reactor Operator applicant is being withheld pending certification by the facility that the applicant has fully satisfied the six months on-site experience requirement, a portion of which was deferred until after completion of the 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, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 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

No findings were identified.

4OA6 Management Meetings

.1 Debrief

The Chief Examiner presented the examination team's preliminary observations and findings on June 7, 2013, to Mr. J. Cuff, Training Manager, and other members of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Operations and Training Department staff.

.2 Exit Meeting

The Chief Examiner conducted an exit meeting on June 28, 2013, with Mr. B. Boles, Director, Site Operations, by telephone. During the telephone conversation, the NRC confirmed receipt of the station-submitted post-examination documentation on June 20, 2013, noting that there were no post-examination comments, and discussed the proposed final grading of the written examination. No proprietary or sensitive information was identified during the examination or debrief/exit meetings.

ATTACHMENT:

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

KEY POINTS OF CONTACT

Licensee

B. Boles, Director, Site Operations

J. Cuff, Training Manager

T. Summers, Operations Manager

R. Brooks, Fleet Training

D. Hartnett, Superintendent, Operations Training

M. Klein, Fleet Training

S. Martin, Staff Nuclear Operations Training

P. McCloskey, Manager, Site Regulatory Compliance

A. Stallard, Superintendent, Nuclear Operations

V. Wasdworth, Regulatory Compliance

G. Wolf, Supervisor, Nuclear Compliance

NRC

M. Bielby, Chief Operator Licensing Examiner

LIST OF ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED

Opened, Closed, and Discussed

None