IR 05000346/2024301
| ML24032A276 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Davis Besse  |
| Issue date: | 02/02/2024 |
| From: | April Nguyen NRC/RGN-III/DORS/OB |
| To: | Tony Brown Energy Harbor Nuclear Corp |
| G. Roach | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22251A146 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML24032A276 (10) | |
Text
SUBJECT:
DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000346/2024301
Dear Terry Brown:
On January 25, 2024, 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 January 12, 2024, with David Witt, Operations Training Superintendent, and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by teleconference on January 29, 2024, between Christopher Jackson, Plant Manager of your staff, and Gregory Roach, Senior Operator Licensing Examiner, to review the proposed final grading of the written examination for the license applicants. During the telephone conversation, the NRC resolutions of any post-examination comments submitted by the facility, initially received by the NRC on January 25, 2024, were discussed.
The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of January 8, 2024. The written examination was administered by Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station training department personnel on January 17, 2024. Seven (7) Senior Reactor Operator and six (6) Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were finalized on January 30, 2024. Thirteen (13) applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations seven (7) were issued senior operator licenses and six (6) 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 January 25, 2026. The enclosure contains details of this report.
February 2, 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, April Nguyen, Chief Operations Branch Division of Operating Reactor Safety Docket No. 50-346 License No. NPF-3 Enclosure:
1. Examination Report 05000346/2024301 2. Simulator Fidelity Report cc: Distribution via LISTSERV J. Phillippe, Training Manager Signed by Nguyen, April on 02/02/24
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
ER 05000346/2024301; January 08, 2024, to January 25, 2024; Energy Harbor Nuclear Corp.,
Davis-Besse 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:
13 of 13 applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Seven (7) applicants were issued senior operator licenses, and six (6) applicants were issued operator licenses.
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. The NRC examiners developed the operating test outlines and developed the written examination and operating test. The NRC examiners validated the proposed examination during the week of December 04, 2023, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff.
During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited four 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 January 08, 2024, through January 12, 2024. The facility licensee administered the written examination on January 17, 2024.
b. Findings
- (1) Written Examination During the validation of the written examination several questions were modified or replaced. Changes made to the written examination were 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 January 25, 2026. (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML22251A151, ML22251A144, ML22251A143, and ML22251A154 respectively).
The NRC examiners graded the written examination on January 25, 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 two
- (2) Emergency and Abnormal Plant Evolutions questions with more than 50 percent of applicants answering incorrectly.
- (2) Operating Test 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 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 operating tests, will be available electronically in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRC's ADAMS on January 25, 2026.
(ADAMS Accession Numbers ML22251A151, ML22251A144, ML22251A143, and ML22251A154 respectively).
The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on January 29, 2024.
Post-examination analysis revealed generic weaknesses in applicant performance in the area(s) of operation of the Integrated Control System (ICS) in Manual/Hand control and License Maintenance requirements.
- (3) Examination Results Seven
- (7) applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) level and six
- (6) applicants at the Reactor Operator (RO) level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Thirteen
- (13) applicants passed all portions of their examinations and were issued their respective operating licenses on January 30, 2024.
.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 Meetings
.1 Debrief
The chief examiner presented the examination team's preliminary observations and findings on January 12, 2024, to David Witt, Operations Training Superintendent 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 January 29, 2024, with Christopher Jackson, Plant Manager by teleconference. The NRCs final disposition of the stations grading of the written examination and post-examination comments were disclosed and discussed during the teleconference. 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
KEY POINTS OF CONTACT
Licensee
Christopher Jackson, Plant Manager
David Witt, Operations Training Superintendent
Don Rowland, Exam Team Lead
Christopher
- J. Sutter, Nuclear Operations Instructor
Larry
- D. Willard, Jr., Fleet Performance Assessor (Facility Representative)
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Brian Towne, Senior Resident Inspector
Russ Cassara, Resident Inspector
Gregory Roach, Senior Operations Engineer, Chief Examiner
ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED
Opened, Closed, and Discussed
None
LIST OF DOCUMENTS REVIEWED
The following is a partial list of documents reviewed during the inspection. Inclusion on this list does not imply that the NRC inspector reviewed the documents in their entirety, but rather that selected sections or portions of the documents were evaluated as part of the overall inspection effort. Inclusion of a document on this list does not imply NRC acceptance of the document or any part of it, unless this is stated in the body of the inspection report.
- Type Designation Description or Title
LIST OF ACRONYMS
- USED [[]]
SIMULATION FACILITY FIDELITY REPORT
Facility Licensee:
Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station
Facility Docket No:
50-346
Operating Tests Administered:
January 08, 2024, through January 12, 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
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
None