IR 05000346/2015301
| ML15226A309 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Davis Besse  |
| Issue date: | 08/14/2015 |
| From: | Hironori Peterson Operations Branch III |
| To: | Boles B FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co |
| References | |
| 50-346/15-301 | |
| Download: ML15226A309 (19) | |
Text
August 14, 2015
SUBJECT:
DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000346/2015301
Dear Mr. Boles:
On June 30, 2015, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for licensed applicants employed 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 18, 2015, with Mr. J. Cuff, Training Manager, and other members of your staff.
An exit meeting was conducted by telephone on July 28, 2015, between Mr. R. Oesterle, Site Operations Manager, other members of your staff, and Mr. D. Reeser, Chief Operator Licensing Examiner, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the licensed applicants. During the telephone conversation, NRC resolutions of the stations post-examination comments, initially received by the NRC on June 30, 2015, were discussed.
The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of June 15, 2015. The written examination was administered by Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station training department personnel on June 22, 2015. Four Senior Reactor Operator (SRO)
and three Reactor Operator (RO) applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on July 23, 2015. Three applicants failed one or more sections of the administered examination and were issued proposed license denial letters.
Four applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations and one applicant was issued a senior operator license. The license for one SRO applicant is being withheld pending the determination of amount of any additional Responsible Nuclear Power Plant Experience that must be obtained prior to the issuance of their license. In accordance with NRC policy, the licenses for the remaining RO applicants are being withheld pending the outcome of any written examination appeal that may be initiated.
The written examination and other related written examination documentation will be withheld from public disclosure for 24 months per your request. However, if an applicant received a proposed license denial letter because of a written examination grade that is less than 80 percent, the applicant will be provided a copy of the written examination. For examination security purposes, your staff should consider that written examination uncontrolled and exposed to the public. In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding, of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRCs Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS)
component of the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS).
ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).
Sincerely,
/RA Raymond Keith Walton Acting for/
Hironori Peterson, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety
Docket No. 50-346 License No. NPF-3
Enclosure:
Operator Licensing Examination Report (ER)
05000346/2015301 w/Attachments:
1. Supplemental Information 2. Post-Examination Comments and Resolution 3. Simulation Facility Fidelity Report
REGION III==
Docket No:
50-346 License No:
NPF-3 Report No:
05000346/2015301 Licensee:
FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC)
Facility:
Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Location:
Oak Harbor, OH Dates:
June 15, 2015, through June 30, 2015 Inspectors:
D. Reeser, Operations Engineer; Chief Examiner
B. Palagi, Senior Operations Engineer; Examiner
N. Valos, Senior Reactor Analyst; Examiner
Approved by:
H. Peterson, Chief Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety
SUMMARY
ER 05000346/2015301; 06/15/2015 - 06/30/2015; 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 Four of seven applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Three applicants (two Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) and one Reactor Operator (RO)) failed one or more sections of the administered examination and were issued proposed license denials. One applicant was issued a senior operator license. The license for one SRO applicant is being withheld pending the determination of the amount of any additional Responsible Nuclear Power Plant Experience that must be obtained prior to the issuance of their license. In accordance with NRC policy, the licenses for the remaining two RO applicants are being withheld pending the outcome of any written examination appeal that may be initiated. (Section 4OA5.1).
REPORT DETAILS
4OA5 Other Activities
.1 Initial Licensing Examinations
a. Examination Scope
The U.S. 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 9-Supplement 1, to develop, validate, administer, and grade the written examination and operating test. Members of the facility licensees staff prepared the outlines and developed the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of May 18, 2015, 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 (JPMs)and dynamic simulator scenarios, during the period of June 15, 2015, through June 18, 2015. The facility licensee administered the written examination on June 22, 2015.
b. Findings
- (1) Written Examination The NRC examiners determined that the Reactor Operator (RO) portion of 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.
The NRC examiners initially determined that the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) portion of the written examination, as proposed by the licensee, was within the range of acceptability expected for a proposed examination. Five out of 25 (20 percent) of the proposed examination questions were determined to be unsatisfactory and required modification or replacement.
On June 30, 2015, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there were two post-examination comments for consideration by the NRC examiners when grading the written examination. The post-examination comments and the NRC resolution for the post-examination comments are included as Attachment 2 of this report.
During the review and resolution of the post-examination comments, the NRC examiners determined that two additional questions on the SRO portion of the written examination were unsatisfactory, and the questions were deleted from the as-administered examination. With these two additional unsatisfactory questions, more than 20 percent of the proposed SRO written examination questions were determined to be unsatisfactory. Four of the unsatisfactory questions lacked sufficient focus (e.g., unclear intent, inaccurate operating conditions, more information was needed, or too much needless information) within the question stem to elicit the correct answer; two questions contained two or more implausible distracters; and two questions failed to meet the SRO Only criteria. Additional attention in this area is warranted.
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 will be 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).
The proposed written examination, as well as the final as-administered examination and answer key (ADAMS Accession Number ML15217A601), 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 July 21, 2015, 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 23, 2015.
- (3) Examination Results Four applicants at the SRO level and three applicants at the RO level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Three applicants (two SRO and one RO)failed one or more sections of the administered examination and were issued proposed license denials. Four applicants (two SRO and two RO) passed all portions of their examinations. One applicant was issued a senior operator license on July 23, 2015.
The license for one SRO applicant is being withheld pending the determination of the amount of any additional Responsible Nuclear Power Plant Experience that must be obtained prior to the issuance of their license. Two RO applicants passed all portions of the license examination, but received written test grades below 82 percent. In accordance with NRC policy, the applicants licenses will be withheld until any written examination appeal possibilities by other applicants have been resolved. If the applicants grade is still equal to or greater than 80 percent after any appeal resolution, the applicant will be issued an operating license. If the applicants grade has declined below 80 percent, the applicant will be issued a proposed license denial letter and offered the opportunity to appeal any questions the applicant feels were graded incorrectly.
.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 Title 10 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 Management Meetings
.1 Debrief
The chief examiner presented the examination team's preliminary observations and findings on July 18, 2015, to Mr. J. Cuff, Training Manager, and other members of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Operations and Training Department staff.
.2
Exit Meeting Summary
The chief examiner conducted an exit meeting, by telephone, on July 28, 2015, with Mr. R. Oesterle, Site Operations Manager, and other members of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station staff. The NRCs final disposition of the stations post-examination comments were disclosed and discussed during the telephone discussion. The examiners 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.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Supplemental Information
2. Post Examination Comments and Resolution
3. Simulation Facility Fidelity Report
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
KEY POINTS OF CONTACT
Licensee
- R. Oesterle, (Acting) Manager, Site Operations
- J. Phillippe, Superintendent, Operations Services
- D. Hartnett, Superintendent, Nuclear Operations Training
- S. Martin, Supervisor, Nuclear Operations Training
- T. Gaydosik, Fleet Lead Exam Developer
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- D. Kimble, Senior Resident Inspector
- T. Briley, Resident Inspector
- D. Reeser, Chief Examiner
- B. Palagi, Examiner
- N. Valos, Examiner
ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED
Opened, Closed,
Discussed
None