IR 05000373/2023301
| ML23258A141 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | LaSalle  |
| Issue date: | 09/15/2023 |
| From: | April Nguyen NRC/RGN-III/DORS/OB |
| To: | Rhoades D Constellation Energy Generation, Constellation Nuclear |
| Iskierka Boggs T | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML21188A270 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML23258A141 (1) | |
Text
July 5, 2023
SUBJECT:
LASALLE COUNTY STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 - NRC INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION REPORT 05000373/2023301; 05000374/2023301
Dear David Rhoades:
On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed the initial operator licensing examination process for license applicants employed at your LaSalle County Station.
The enclosed report documents the results of those examinations. Preliminary observations noted during the examination process were discussed on May 09, 2023, with Scott Arebaugh and other members of your staff. An exit meeting was conducted by teleconference on June 12, 2023, between John Van Fleet, Site Vice President, of your staff, and Travis Iskierka-Boggs, 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 three post-examination comments submitted by the facility, initially received by the NRC on June 1, 2023, were discussed.
The NRC examiners administered an initial license examination operating test during the week of May 1, 2023. The written examination was administered by LaSalle County Station training department personnel on May 12, 2023. Five Senior Reactor Operator and eight Reactor Operator applicants were administered license examinations. The results of the examinations were initially finalized on June 26, 2023. Following additional reviews through the informal review process, final examination grades were determined on August 21, 2023. Twelve applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. One applicant was issued a Preliminary Results letter. Five applicants were issued senior operator licenses and seven applicants 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 June 1, 2025.
However, since one applicant received a Preliminary Results letter because of a written examination grade that is less than 80.0 percent, the applicant was provided copies of the written examination. For examination security purposes, your staff should consider that written examination uncontrolled and exposed to the public.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
ER 05000373/2023301 (DORS); 05000374/2023301 (DORS); 05/01/2023-06/26/2023;
Constellation Energy Generation, LLC; LaSalle County Station, Units 1 and 2; Initial License Examination Report.
The announced initial operator licensing examination was conducted by regional U.S. NRC examiners in accordance with the guidance of NUREG-1021, Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors, Revision 12.
Examination Summary:
Twelve of thirteen applicants passed all sections of their respective examinations. Five applicants were issued senior operator licenses and seven applicants were issued operator licenses. One 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 March 27, 2023, with the assistance of members of the facility licensees staff. During the on-site validation week, the examiners audited two reactor operators and two senior reactor operators 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 May 1, 2023, through May 5, 2023.
The facility licensee administered the written examination on May 12, 2023.
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 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 June 1, 2025, (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML21188A269, ML21188A265, ML21188A267, ML21188A274 respectively).
On June 1, 2023, the licensee submitted documentation noting that there were three 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 provided in Enclosure 2 to this report.
The NRC examiners graded the written examination on June 26, 2023, and conducted a review of each missed question to determine the accuracy and validity of the examination questions.
On July 5, 2023, three applicants submitted documentation to Region III requesting an Informal Review of failed written examinations by the Operator Licensing and Human Factors (IOLB) branch, Division of Reactor Oversight (DRO). On August 21, 2023, IOLB concluded that two questions were to be deleted from the administered written examination. This change resulted in passing scores for the three applicants that submitted an informal review request. The Informal Review Response letters and the updated grading to the examination documents are referenced in Attachment 1.
- (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.
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 June 1, 2025, (ADAMS Accession Numbers ML21188A269, ML21188A265, ML21188A267, ML21188A274 respectively).
The NRC examiners completed operating test grading on June 26, 2023.
- (3) Examination Results Five applicants at the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) level and eight applicants at the Reactor Operator (RO) level were administered written examinations and operating tests. Twelve applicants passed all portions of their examinations and were issued their respective operating licenses on June 26, 2023. One applicant was issued a Preliminary Results letter for failure of the written examination overall 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 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
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
KEY POINTS OF CONTACT
Licensee
- J. Van Fleet, Site Vice President
- C. Smith, Plant Manager
- D. Blair (Acting), Director Site Operations
- J. Nugent (Acting), Manager Operations Training
- D. Mearhoff, Regulatory Assurance Manager
- J. Messina, Shift Operations Superintendent
- J. Glass, Initial License Training, Examination Author
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- T. Iskierka-Boggs, Chief Examiner
- G. Roach, Senior Examiner
- B. Bartlett, Senior Examiner
- J. Nance, Examiner
- J. Benjamin, Senior Resident Inspector
ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED
Opened, Closed, and Discussed
None LIST OF ACRONYMS USED ADAMS Agencywide Document Access and Management System NRC U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission